Teenage circumcision goes awry claiming at least 11 lives in Eastern Cape province, South Africa

/ Mike Buchanan

Our thanks to Martin for this piece in the International Business Times. An extract:

In certain African cultures, circumcision is considered a sacred ritual to mark a male teenager’s transition to manhood. The initiation season typically begins at the start of winter when teenagers across the villages are made to undergo circumcision.

Despite the government’s “Zero Deaths” campaign, circumcision-linked deaths have been rampant in the Eastern Cape province where as many as 70 circumcision-related deaths took place in 2016. Besides, dozens of teenagers sustained penile injuries.

It simply beggars belief that with 70 deaths in 2016, there were only ‘dozens’ of teenage boys sustaining penile injuries, even leaving aside the obvious point that ALL circumcisions lead to penile injury. I would expect the true number to be in the hundreds, maybe even thousands.

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One thought on “Teenage circumcision goes awry claiming at least 11 lives in Eastern Cape province, South Africa”

  1. So often this objectional procedure, & others like them, are dressed up as ‘rites of passage’ or possessed of some religious significance and therefore inherently good.
    Whereas in fact they are usually just primitive power and control techniques.

    That alone should be enought to condemn them, quite apart from the grievous physical damage.

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