The Malta declaration is the statement of the Third International Intersex Forum, which took place in Valletta, Malta, in 2013. The event was supported by the ILGA and ILGA-Europe and brought together 34 people representing 30 organisations from multiple regions of the world.First ever international intersex forum , ILGA-Europe (Creative Commons statement), 6 September 2011First ever international intersex forum , ILGA, 7 September 2011
The declaration affirmed the existence of intersex people, and demanded an end to "discrimination against intersex people and to ensure the right of bodily integrity, physical autonomy and self-determination". For the first time, participants made a statement on birth registrations, in addition to other human rights issues:3rd International Intersex Forum concluded , ILGA-Europe (Creative Commons statement), 2 December 2013Global intersex community affirms shared goals , Star Observer, December 4, 2013(Chinese) 2013第三屆世界陰陽人論壇宣言 , Oii-Chinese, December 2013
The declaration
The forum called on:
Signatories
The Forum was organized by ILGA Europe's Silvan Agius and Ruth Baldacchino, and three intersex activists selected from an open call application process managed by ILGA Europe: Mauro Cabral, of Argentina, Mani Bruce Mitchell, of New Zealand, and Hida Viloria of Intersex Campaign for Equality.3rd International Intersex Forum in Malta , ILGA-Europe, 22 July 2013 Attending participants included Sean Saifa Wall and Pidgeon Pagonis for AIC (now interACT), Morgan Carpenter and Tony Briffa from Organisation Intersex International Australia,Public statement by the third international intersex forum , Organisation Intersex International Australia, 2 December 2013 Intersex Austria Öffentliche Erklärung des Dritten Internationalen Intersex Forum , Intersex Austria, 8 December 2013 Holly Greenberry from Intersex UK,Holly is now sat chatting planning and catching up with... , Intersex UK on Twitter, 28 November 2013IntersexUK consensus paper.3rd International IntersexForum concluded... , Intersex UK on Twitter, 3 December 2013 Miriam van der Have and Inge Intven of Nederlandse Netwerk Intersekse/DSD (NNID), and representatives of Zwischengeschlecht, and IVIM/OII Deutschland
Adoption and legacy
The declaration has been cited by numerous human rights institutions around the world, including intersex human rights papers published by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions, and by organizations allying themselves with the intersex human rights movement.
In 2015, Malta adopted world-first legislation to protect intersex infants and children from non-consensual medical interventions.
In March 2017, the Malta declaration was acknowledged by a consensus "Darlington Statement", published by Australian and New Zealand intersex community organizations and others. The statement calls for legal reform, including the criminalization of deferrable intersex medical interventions on children, an end to legal classification of sex, and improved access to peer support.
See also Intersex human rights Intersex rights in Malta Intersex civil society organizations
References