The UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Al Salem, welcomed the United Kingdom's decision to halt routine use of puberty blockers for children as part of gender transition services, saying the move responded to concerns that such treatments might disrupt brain development.

Al Salem noted a sharp increase in teenage girls seeking gender transition treatment in the U.K. between 2009 and 2016 — from 15 patients to more than 1,070 referrals — and said those referrals raised questions about whether the best interests of the child were being upheld. She called for psychological support to be made available and for gender transition not to be presented as the only option for young people seeking help.

The special rapporteur referenced a review commissioned by the U.K. National Health Service and led by Dr. Hilary Kass that found benefits of some gender identity treatments were "remarkably weak," according to the UN briefing. Al Salem said the treatments had "devastating consequences on children's human rights" and urged that alternatives and safeguards be considered.

The briefing said several Western European countries have reduced access to similar gender identity treatments, but did not list those countries or describe specific policy changes.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.