It is time for more child protection: rally on December 11th, 2023 in Vienna
Linz/Vienna (OTS) – On the occasion of the meeting of the Committee for Family and Youth, VIMÖ together with mein #aufstehn, MRKH Austria, the Klinefelter*Inter association and the Intersex Austria platform held a rally in front of Parliament on December 11th, 2023. Why? Because despite the joint presentation of the petition in June 2023, which called on the government to finally take action to protect intersex children and young people, nothing happened again. Through current parliamentary questions, it has now become known that a corresponding draft law has been completed at ministerial level since autumn 2022. According to the Ministry of Justice and Health, the ÖVP failed to introduce the proposal into the parliamentary process. Apparently the ÖVP, which is also responsible for the family and youth department, is not interested in the protection of all children in Austria!
This means that those affected and interest groups only have the option of taking to the streets to draw attention to the grievances in Austria and to demand urgent legal improvements so that children and young people with variations in sexual characteristics can finally stop being mutilated.
Elisabeth Humer, parent peer advisor at Var.Ges reports: “Experience from peer counseling shows that parents are still often put under pressure to have their child undergo gender normalization surgery as early as possible, which is not necessary for health reasons.
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The medical practices that continue to be common in Austria were classified by the UN Committee against Torture in 2015 as “cruel, inhumane and degrading treatments within the meaning of the UN Convention against Torture”. At the beginning of 2020, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child called on Austria to ban non-essential and non-consensual medical interventions and treatments on intersex children. In 2021, Austria not only called for the protection of intersex people in the UN Human Rights Council together with over 50 other countries, but there was also a motion for a resolution in the Austrian National Council to ban these harmful practices. This motion was passed unanimously, i.e. by all parties – and now the draft law must finally be implemented.
“Every child has the right to physical integrity – EVERY CHILD
“, says Luan Pertl, chairman of the VIMÖ branch association in Vienna.
We would like to thank our numerous colleagues and, above all, the Equal Treatment Attorney for their clear support of our human rights.
Under this link there are photos of today’s rally.
Related Links:
Association of Intersex People Austria (VIMÖ)
Petition “Protect intersex children and young people”
Motion for a resolution by the National Council “Protection of intersex children and adolescents from medically unnecessary treatments for sexual characteristics (1594/A(E))”
Parliamentary questions from the SPÖ:
“Follow-up request: Ban on medically unnecessary operations on intersex children – finally implement the National Council’s resolution!”: https://www.parlament.gv.at/gegenstand/XXVII/J/15956 and https://www.parlament.gv.at/gegenstand/XXVII/J/15957
Answers to the inquiries
– the Minister of Justice
– of the Minister of Health
Questions & Contact:
Luan Pertl: +436763036149, VIMÖ
Tinou Ponzer +4373228700200, VIMÖ