Cuts into Children’s Future: a Comparative Analysis between FGM, Male Circumcision and Intersex Genital Surgeries

Many international and regional human rights’ measures were adopted to eliminate female genital modifications, as they are performed in lack of medical necessity and interfere with the growth of healthy genital tissue, which can lead to severe consequences for women’s physical and mental health. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the discussion on other practices that are carried out on children without their consent and without therapeutic reasons, such as male circumcision and intersex treatment. These practices will be discussed by examining three different arguments: the best interest standard, the do no harm principle and the right to bodily integrity combined with the children’s right to an open future. In doing so, the intent is to find out if by opening the discussion to other forms of early non-therapeutic genital interventions it could be a way to improve the protection of children against embodied practices that are grounded on cultural/social norms.