Zimbabwe- Government’s move on a high-level meeting on intersex rights and legal recognition in Harare has sparked debate among different social media users, some of whom have expressed ignorance.
Many people have shown a lack of knowledge of what intersex rights mean.
This comes after the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs convened a high-level breakfast meeting this Thursday on intersex rights and legal recognition in Harare.
The meeting was aimed at strengthening Zimbabwe’s approach to protecting intersex persons and addressing gaps in existing laws.
The meeting was attended by Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Edgar Moyo, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; and Dr Douglas Mombeshora, Minister of Health and Child Care.
In addressing the issue, officials emphasised the need for public understanding of what intersex means and why it is often misinterpreted in society.
Intersex refers to a range of natural biological traits such as chromosomes, gonads, hormones, or reproductive anatomy that may not fit typical definitions of male or female.
It is not a choice or a disease, and it is not caused by wrongdoing; rather, it is a form of human biological variation.
Speaking during a side interview, Minister Ziyambi said the Government’s work began after a court challenge involving intersex rights.
“Basically, what we have done is we have received a court challenge regarding this issue (intersex), and we referred it to the Attorney General.
“After that, we decided as a Ministry that we need to undertake research,” he said.
Ziyambi explained that while Zimbabwe’s Constitution recognises two sexes, the legal and administrative systems must respond to lived realities where people do not fit neatly into the binary classification used in many government processes.
The Ministry said the research was conducted through the Law Development Commission, supported by the UNDP, and the breakfast meeting was convened to gather expert input.
“The research and this meeting are part of work in progress.
“We have presentations and testimonies and lived experiences, and we believe that out of the meeting, we will be able to come up with concrete measures,” he added.
Public Service minister Moyo described the meeting as both a wake-up call and a pathway toward legal reforms. He said there is a gap in the law.
“There is a real gap in our statutes to address those issues. Because we are basically classified as male and female and then there are people falling in between,” he said.
Minister Moyo highlighted that stigma and cultural barriers have contributed to intersex issues being kept “under the carpet”.
He also pointed to how intersex persons may face repeated humiliation and exclusion when required documents and identity processes do not match their biological traits.
He said awareness and services must be strengthened, including within families and child protection systems.
“Testimonies were heartbreaking, noting that parents may not always know or may not understand the issue early enough, particularly when traits emerge later,” he said.
He added that his Ministry will work on providing inclusive support and recognition, stressing that Government must “live beyond culture” and “be adaptive” in promoting inclusivity.
Participants reviewed barriers faced by intersex persons in Zimbabwe’s documentation and public services systems, including: legal documentation systems that recognise only binary sex markers; difficulty obtaining birth certificates and national IDs, due to mismatches between biological variation and documentation categories; and exclusion from education enrolment, health services, banking, employment and voting, among many other challenges highlighted.
Officials also noted that many communities misunderstand intersex through cultural beliefs and stigma, often treating the condition as taboo or “irregular”.
They said families may keep such matters private, especially when traits become more noticeable later in life or when a person is pressured to conform to strict gender expectations.
The Ministry said it will validate the findings, draft legal and policy recommendations for Cabinet consideration, maintain ongoing engagement with intersex persons and civil society organisations (CSOs), and provide feedback to participants on progress made.
The process will rely on both expert guidance and the lived experiences of intersex persons, emphasising that inclusion must be practical, humane and grounded in real life.
