Press Release

Rising violence and harassment against intersex people in the EU

Intersex person waving a flag.
Being intersex in the EU means facing alarming levels of violence, harassment and discrimination in daily life, finds the latest report from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Many intersex people have been forced to undergo ‘conversion’ practices or medical procedures without their informed consent, amounting to serious fundamental rights violations. FRA calls on EU countries to address the specific needs of intersex people to protect them from hate, discrimination and medical interventions without their free and fully informed consent.

The report Being Intersex in the EU captures the experiences of intersex people in Europe, based on FRA’s latest LGBTIQ Survey. It reveals that since 2019, intersex people have been facing increasing levels of violence, harassment and discrimination, much more than LGBTIQ people overall: 

  • Violence: 1 in 6 (15%) were physically or sexually assaulted in the year before the survey. In the five years before the survey, the rate reached 1 in 3 (34%) which is a sharp increase from 2019 (22%) and three times higher than the rate for LGBTIQ people overall.  

  • Harassment: 3 in 4 (74%) faced hate-motivated harassment in the year before the survey, up from 2 in 5 (42%) in 2019. It is also much higher than the rate for all LGBTIQ respondents (55%). 

  • Discrimination: 2 in 3 (61%) felt discriminated against in the year before the survey, no change compared to 2019 (62%). Most often, they face discrimination at work (38%). Intersex people are the only LGBTIQ group which did not experience a drop in discrimination since the last survey. 

  • Bullying: 3 in 4 (76%) suffered bullying, ridicule, teasing, insults or threats at school, up significantly from 2019 (54%).  

  • Medical interventions: over 1 in 2 (57%) have had surgery or other medical treatment to modify their sex characteristics without their informed consent. 

  • Conversion practices: close to 2 in 5 (39%) had to go through ‘conversion’ practices to change their sexual orientation or gender, compared with 1 in 4 among all LGBTIQ groups (25%).  

  • Mental health: over 1 in 2 (53%) contemplated suicide the year before the survey, notably higher than the rate for all LGBTIQ groups (37%).  

  • Homelessness: 1 in 20 (6%) had to sleep rough at least once, compared with 1% for other LGBTIQ groups and 0.2% of people in the EU generally. 

The report reveals that intersex people who identify as trans women or trans men, non-binary and gender diverse, and those who live with a disability or belong to an ethnic minority, face even higher rates of violence, harassment and discrimination.  

The results point to specific areas where the EU and EU countries need to act: 

  • Combat discrimination and harassment - add sex characteristics to the protected grounds in anti-discrimination laws and include a clear and operational reference to intersectional discrimination. Ensure equality bodies are adequately empowered, mandated and resourced to fulfil their roles and obligations. Tackle intersex bullying at schools through training and capacity building and introduce comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education at schools. 

  • Fight hate crime and hate speech – include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics as aggravating motivations in criminal law. Add hate crime and hate speech against intersex people to the list of EU crimes. Properly implement the EU’s Digital Services Act to tackle online hate and disinformation. 

  • End intersex genital mutilation – end non-vital medical interventions to modify sex characteristics without prior and fully informed consent. Train medical professionals about the particular health needs of intersex people and ensure appropriate, rights-compliant ways to treat them. 

  • Ban conversion practices – protect intersex people from cruel and inhumane treatment and ban ‘conversion’ practices. 

Quote from FRA Director Sirpa Rautio

“Intersex people in the EU experience alarming levels of exclusion, discrimination and violence. Their struggle requires an urgent response. They must be provided with targeted support that addresses their specific needs to ensure they can enjoy their fundamental rights and live in dignity.” 

The 2023 LGBTIQ Survey collected responses from 1,920 intersex people in 30 countries (EU-27 plus Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia). 

This is FRA’s second report on the fundamental rights of intersex people. FRA published its first report on the topic in 2015. 

For more, please contact: media@fra.europa.eu / Tel.: +43 1 580 30 653