CRC/C/AUT/CO/5-6

Austria (CRC 06-03-2020)

The Committee considered the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Austria (CRC/C/AUT/5-6) at its 2448th and 2449th meetings (see CRC/C/SR.2448 and 2449), held on 30 and 31 January 2020, and adopted the present concluding observations at its 2460th meeting, held on 7 February 2020.

Concluding observations

E. Violence against children (arts. 19, 24 (3), 28 (2), 34, 37 (a) and 39)

Harmful practices

27. With reference to joint general recommendation No. 31 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women/general comment No. 18 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2019) on harmful practices, and recalling the concluding observations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/AUT/CO/6, para. 45) the Committee recommends that the State party:                                        

(a) Prohibit the performance of unnecessary medical or surgical treatment on intersex children where those procedures may be safely deferred until children are able to provide their informed consent;                                        

(b) Gather data with a view to understanding the extent of instances of unnecessary medical or surgical treatment performed on intersex children, which constitute a harmful practice, so that children at risk can be more easily identified and their abuse prevented;                                   

(c) Continue to take preventive and protection measures to address female genital mutilation, including the provision of social, psychological, medical and rehabilitative services and training of relevant professionals and awareness-raising programmes.