Our Duty Canada’s Universal Periodic Review Submission to be read in Geneva

Our submission outlining the lack of safety and efficacy within Canada’s mandated Gender Affirming Care model will be read in Geneva on Friday, November 10^th.

In April of this year, Our Duty Canada wrote a submission for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process that occurs every 4.5 years for each of the UN’s signatory countries.  The UPR process provides a check-in to see how Canada is measuring up to its commitments pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and further offers an opportunity for review and change— in this case, much needed change.

After a long wait by the writers of the submission, it is scheduled to be read later this month at the 44^th session of the UPR in the presence of other UN signatories in Geneva. 

At the heart of our submission lies the lack of evidence, safety and efficacy rife throughout the currently mandated Gender Affirming Care model in Canada and the violation of child and parental rights that will continue if our recommendations are not considered or met.    

In our thorough report, we support with growing evidence that the long-term effects of Puberty Blockers, synthetic sex hormones and invasive surgeries are largely unknown.  What we are seeing, however, is a decline in mental health, an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and infertility (to name a few), and a steep incline in detransition—for which Canada has no medical or psychiatric supports in place. We take a deep dive into the risks from off-label drugs and invasive surgeries; comorbidities and suicide risk; the lack of evidence for informed consent; and the exclusion of parents from decision-making.  We support our deep concerns with several peer reviewed studies and preeminent academic articles.

ODC feels strongly that as more evidence against the hasty doling out of synthetic hormone drugs and amputating surgeries for children and adolescents emerges, our recommendations are not only valid but necessary.  We hope that they will be given the consideration they deserve by other stakeholder countries of the UN on November 10^th.  We will be watching and we hope you will be too.

You can read the report HERE

Find out how to watch on November 10^th HERE

We encourage you to read and share our submission and help us take advantage of this opportunity to be heard worldwide!