Global Momentum Builds to Ban Nonconsensual Surgeries on Intersex Children
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📰 The quick summary: Global momentum is building to protect intersex people from nonconsensual surgeries as more countries implement bans and medical institutions recognize the harm caused by these procedures.
📈 One key stat: Over 50 evaluations by United Nations human rights treaty bodies have concluded that nonconsensual surgeries on children born with intersex traits constitute human rights violations.
💬 One key quote: “Recognising this harm is the first step. Next we must call for legislated protections, guidelines founded in lived experience and evidence.”
1️⃣ The big picture: Intersex Awareness Week highlights significant progress in protecting the rights of individuals born with variations in sex characteristics. For decades, doctors routinely performed medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex newborns to align their bodies with social gender norms. These procedures often result in lifelong harm including trauma, loss of sexual function, chronic pain, and other health complications. Now, a growing international movement is pushing back against these practices, advocating for bodily autonomy and informed consent. Medical institutions, human rights organizations, and governments worldwide are increasingly recognizing these surgeries as human rights violations and taking concrete steps to regulate or ban them.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: The movement to protect intersex children’s bodily autonomy is gaining unprecedented momentum around the world. Countries including Malta, Greece, Spain, and parts of Australia and India have already banned nonconsensual surgeries on intersex children. The UN Human Rights Council passed its first resolution on the issue last year and issued a comprehensive report in 2025. The US Department of Health and Human Services published a landmark report calling for an end to these procedures, while the Australian Medical Association unanimously supported a resolution acknowledging the harm caused to intersex people. The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has also urged member states to prohibit medical interventions on a person’s sex characteristics without proper consent.
3️⃣ What’s next: Advocates must continue pushing for legislation that explicitly prohibits nonconsensual surgeries on intersex children in more countries. Medical institutions need to develop new guidelines based on lived experiences and evidence rather than outdated practices. Educational efforts should focus on raising awareness about intersex rights and the principle of bodily autonomy among healthcare providers and the general public.
Read the full story here: Human Rights Watch – Intersex Rights Advance Based on Evidence, Principle
