Issue date: 11 July 2014. The South African National AIDS Council’s (SANAC) Civil Society Forum (CSF) is deeply saddened by the 32 reported deaths (25 Eastern Cape, five Mpumalanga, one Western Cape and one Limpopo) that have occurred nationally since the start of the 2014 winter initiation season. The forum calls for an end to these preventable deaths and suffering, and the adoption of safer circumcision processes.
The CSF, which represents leaders from, among others, the men’s, youth, women’s, traditional leaders, traditional health practitioners, health professionals, the non-governmental organization and children’s sectors, invites all stakeholders, including the Department of Health, Department of Social Development, The House of Traditional Leaders, the South African Police Services, parents/caregivers, community members and young men to come together to find solutions that can be urgently implemented during this circumcision season. The CSF calls for a stakeholder meeting to take place by end of July 2014 under the guidance of the SANAC leadership of the High Plenary, the highest governing body of SANAC co-chaired by Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa and Cde Steve Letsike.
To take the conversation forward, the CSF has put together a position paper outlining its stance on safe circumcision. This Call to Action paper is available on the SANAC website.
“The primary aim of the SANAC Civil Society Forum Position Paper on Safe Circumcision is to prevent injuries and save lives, not to promote either traditional circumcision or medical male circumcision. Both are important approaches, however, it remains vital for this country to prioritize the lives of young men. One life lost is enough for us to stand up and address the community challenges”, said Steve Letsike, Chairperson of CSF.
In summary, the position paper’s main points are:
- Pre-circumcision counseling and clinical assessment
Any male who is interested in being circumcised should be counselled about the risks and health benefits of circumcision and should be tested for HIV and screened for sexually-transmitted infections and relevant clinical conditions. Parents should be involved in this counseling process so that they are also aware of the risks and benefits.
- Zero stigma towards traditional or medical male circumcision
No one should experience stigma because of his choice of circumcision method.
- Sterile circumcision procedure
Sterile gloves and blades should be used during all circumcision procedures. Sterile dressing should be applied to prevent infection.
- Counselling on safe post-circumcision wound care
Circumcised men should be properly counseled on how to care for the wound, and when to seek help if complications develop.
- Respect the human rights of those undergoing circumcision
Any form of physical abuse is an abuse of human rights and dignity and should not be tolerated. A strict monitoring mechanism must be put in place to ensure compliance. All circumcision practices must be entirely voluntary. No one should be stopped from seeking medical care.
- Prevent dehydration
Those responsible for the care of those undergoing circumcision must be aware that providing a reasonable amount of water is critical to the health of the circumcised male within the first eight days and that it is illegal to withhold this.
“We recognize the meaningful value of the teachings that the initiation process instill in young men. As a practice that has continued for hundreds of years, clearly many things are working within this tradition. We have no intention of interfering in those aspects. We would like traditional leaders and practitioners to work with us to find solutions for those aspects where there are problems because these problems are harming, and in some cases even killing our young men,” said Khanyisa Dunjwa, AVAC Advocacy fellow on Safe Male Circumcision hosted by NACOSA.
Bafana Khumalo, men’s sector leader, summed it up, “In the spirit of saving lives, we are asking for all role players to recognize that we have a crisis on our hands. We need to consider new ways of solving these problems. We cannot allow our boys to die because we are not willing to consider new ideas.”
We are encouraged by the commitment by the Department of Health, Department of Traditional Affairs and Traditional Leaders in resolving these challenges. We there commit the civil society sector to contribute towards finding solutions and mobilizing communities for support of preventative mechanisms.
For enquiries, please contact:
Bandile Sizani
Eastern Cape Civil Society Forum Co-chair
082 561 1040
Rev Bafana Khumalo
Men’s Sector Leader, Civil Society Forum, SANAC
082 578 4479