Zimbabwean government backs plan to protect rights of intersex people
Activists hope the move will pave the way for recognition of broader LGBTQ rights.
The publication Minority Africa reports:
In Zimbabwe, the government has started a legal reform process to recognise and protect the rights of intersex people. This comes two years after Kenya’s Supreme Court allowed the registration of intersex organisations, and earlier this year officially recognised intersex as a third gender.
For many Zimbabweans, especially queer communities, this is a step in the right direction. Activists say it could help protect intersex people from discrimination and harmful medical practices, while also moving the country closer to acknowledging LGBTQ rights.
The Justice Ministry says the reforms will include public consultations and align with Zimbabwe’s 2030 development goals to “leave no one behind.” While many rights groups have praised this move, many are expecting resistance from conservatives.
Still, campaigners believe that even starting this conversation matters. They see the recognition of intersex rights as a way to open up wider discussions about equality and dignity for all in Zimbabwe.
In the Washington Blade, trans woman Q Bee Chihera-Meki, programs director for Trans and Intersex Rising Zimbabwe, said, “Recognition of intersex rights could pave way for further discussions and reforms regarding our social impact rights in Zimbabwe.”
Chihera-Meki said that even though there is fear of harsher laws being implemented as well as the safety of the LGBTQ community in the near future, they are hopeful the legal reform will pave way for the recognition of LGBTQ rights.
“We are looking forward to upcoming engagements that will see this promise to fruition,” added Chacha. “In a nutshell, Zimbabwe by keeping its promise of human rights protection, empowerment, and development for all people as well as recognizing trans and intersex lives in the human rights and development framework is a step forward. As a member state within the UN, this initiative is also going to go a long way in developing the country and investing in our human capital, which includes all people.”
The Blade reported that, according to Zimbabwean state media, President Emmerson Mnangagwa supports the initiative, which was seen as a crucial step towards identifying existing legal and policy gaps to ensure the full protection of intersex people’s human rights.
Vimbai Nyemba, permanent secretary in theParliament’s Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, said the government has accepted U.N. Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review recommendations to protect intersex people from non-consensual medical procedures and other human rights violations.
