Intersex child undergoes forced surgery in Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, a 13-year-old intersex child has undergone forced genital surgery. Video information about this has been shared on social networks. The information states that the child underwent examinations by endocrinologists and psychologists, and the decision was made for them to be raised as a "boy."

It should be noted that, according to the brochure of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, an intersex person is "a person born with variations in sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies (including genital organs, gonads, and chromosome patterns)."

Infants, children, and adolescents who are intersex often undergo medically unnecessary genital surgeries. These interventions usually occur with the consent of their parents to align the child with stereotypical gender norms, as young children do not have the legal capacity to make decisions about their own bodies.

Such practices are criticised by the World Health Organization, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and numerous international organisations. Surgical interventions can cause psychological trauma, pain, depression, and have a negative impact on the individual's future sexual life. This also violates their physical and mental integrity rights. International organizations consider corrective surgeries on intersex individuals as inhumane treatment and a form of torture.

Several progressive countries have adopted laws that prohibit discrimination against intersex individuals and protect their rights.