EU Strategy on victims’ rights (2020-2025) Joint submission OII Europe and ILGA Europe
One component of work under the Victim’s Rights Directive relating to violence against women and girls is combatting female genital mutilation (FGM). In order to also address the human rights violations that intersex infants and children face, the future Directive should also include intersex genital mutilation (IGM) as a key focus.
Intersex genital mutilation (IGM) functions in a very similar way to FGM, but has yet to receive the same broad attention and clear condemnation. These practices are similar in that they i) are both framed in terms of the need for social acceptance, ii) are both motivated by beliefs about what is considered acceptable sexual behaviours, iii) are both motivated by the notion that body parts that are not considered female (or male) enough should be removed or altered, and iv) are both impactful on the person’s life and health.
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