Treat intersex persons with dignity, urges rights official

Intersex persons during a march on Nairobi streets in 2016 as they marked World Intersex Day. A human rights official has urged the government to change laws to accommodate them.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • National Commission on Human Rights has called on the government to change  the law to accommodate intersex children.
  • Says formation of intersex persons' taskforce to address their issues, was a step in the right direction.
  • Asks members of the public to treat intersex persons with respect as it was not their fault to be created in that manner.

An official of  National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) has called for the change of law to accommodate intersex children.

Ms Veronicah Mwangi said the law review will make it possible for such children to fit in the male and female category, and be registered.

Speaking during the commemoration of World Intersex Day in Embu town, Ms Mwangi who is the deputy director of NCHR, noted that intersex persons felt they had been discriminated against.

She, however, lauded the government for showing interest in addressing their challenges.
Ms Mwangi said the formation of intersex persons' taskforce to address their issues, was a step in the right direction.

“I urge the government to see to it that the problems they face, especially on registration, are sorted out," she added.

Respect

She asked members of the public to treat intersex persons with respect as it was not their fault to be created in that manner.

“The public should not mock, discriminate or misuse intersex persons as they have their own rights as Kenyans," she stated.

Embu West Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Caroline Imaya, advised parents with intersex children not to hide them so that they can get the necessary government assistance.

She said it was only fair that intersex persons are not subjected to stigma and mental trauma.
Ms Imaya ordered chiefs to collect data of intersex persons in their locations for the government to plan with them in mind.
Data collected during the 2019 Census, according to the DCC, shows the county has 24 intersex persons.