31 July — 1 August 2023: Intersex Pre-Conference at the 6th Pan Africa ILGA Regional Conference, Mauritius
Two Days of Connection in Mauritius
Held in Balaclava, Mauritius, from 31 July to 1 August 2023, the 3rd Pan Africa ILGA (PAI) Intersex Pre-Conference, held before the Pan Africa ILGA 6th Regional Conference, brought together more than 29 participants from across the continent. Iranti, the African Intersex Movement (AIM) and the Southern African Intersex Forum (SAIF) worked together to organise the gathering. Its theme — Pride and Resilience — was simple and powerful: bodily autonomy is a fundamental human right.
What happens when intersex activists from across Africa come together in a space where they can speak openly, share experiences and support one another? In Mauritius, it meant two days of honest conversations, new connections and time to celebrate being together.
At its heart, bodily autonomy means having a say over what happens to your own body. For intersex people, this was a conversation rooted in their everyday lives.
Intersex people are born different from your typical male or female and misunderstandings about these natural differences can lead to discrimination and pressure to change their bodies. The gathering gave participants space to talk about these experiences and explore ways to make life safer for intersex people.
Day 1
On the first day, activists shared updates from their countries and regions. They spoke about their work, the challenges they faced and what had helped them keep going. These exchanges offered a chance to learn from one another and consider how organisations could work together more closely.
Participants also explored why intersex people continue to face rejection. Discussions covered misinformation, cultural beliefs, religious views and narrow ideas about how bodies should look. A key concern was the pressure to carry out medical procedures to make intersex children’s bodies fit other people’s expectations.
Education was an important part of the conversation. Challenging harmful myths means helping families, communities and healthcare workers understand intersex people’s lives. It also means listening to intersex people themselves and respecting their choices.
Day Two
On the second day, attention turned to legal protection. Participants discussed the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ Resolution 552, which addresses the promotion and protection of intersex people’s rights in Africa. They considered how it could support advocacy and contributed ideas to guidance being developed by the Centre for Human Rights.
During this conference, participants made art, danced and supported one another. This mattered in a gathering where sharing experiences could mean revisiting painful memories. The session created room for connection, care and enjoyment.
The conference ended with a shared statement calling for greater awareness, protection from discrimination and respect for intersex people’s decisions about their bodies. It also called on partners to include intersex-led organisations in decisions and urged donors to provide reliable, flexible funding for their work.
Across the two days, one message remained clear: intersex people should help shape the decisions that affect their lives. Their voices belong in conversations about healthcare, education, employment and the future of their communities.
The Mauritius gathering gave activists an opportunity to strengthen relationships and plan together. It also showed the value of a space where people could be heard, understood and supported. Those connections were something participants could carry into their work long after.
Read the Conference Report
Read more about the Regional Conference.
This article was written by our Intersex Content Contributor, Delphine Barigye
