Enact Bill on Intersex Persons, Parliament Urged
Parliament should pass the Intersex Persons Bill to promote and protect such persons against discrimination, harmful medical practices, violence or social stigma based on their sex characteristics.
Phyllis Muema, Kenya Community Support Centre executive director, says while Kenya has passed law protecting intersex children and recognizing the “I” gender marker, the youth, women or men who are intersex continue to face human rights violations and exclusion from government services.
“Official documents in Kenya continue to demand from the intersex persons to declare their sex (female/male) which pushes them out of governance or participation in development,” she adds.
In her view, intersex persons face exclusion and stigmatisation even in worship places where they are marked for either male or female despite religious institutions appreciating such persons in their holy books.
Speaking ahead of marking the Awareness Day of Intersex Persons on October 26, 2024, the director notes that the Kenya Community Support Centre (KECOSCE) will continue to stand in solidarity with such persons.
“We will remain steadfast in our commitments to promote and protect the dignity and human rights of intersex persons in Kenya and around the world as we commemorate this year’s Awareness Day.”
According to her KECOSCE will honour the contributions of the intersex voices in their struggle for inclusion, equality, and dignity for all in the country.
Kenya recognized the intersex persons in its 2019 Census where 1,524 were counted.
Although the Children’s Act 2022 was enacted, government institutions have not yet adopted the additional gender marker “I” and communities continue to stigmatize intersex people in utter disappointment of her organisation.
She notes that national identification cards or passports issuance bodies continue to force intersex persons to conform to the traditional male or female gender marker.
To deal with this anomaly, the director calls on Parliament to pass the draft bill of Intersex Persons 2023 immediately so as to stop ongoing discrimination against them.
Once passed, the law will increase the promotion and protection of intersex persons who are facing all kinds of violations and discrimination based on their sex orientation.
