Draft Guidance Listing Circumcision as Potential Child Abuse Sparks Backlash in UK

A draft document prepared for prosecutors in England and Wales has ignited a fierce debate over religious freedom and child safety by listing in appropriate male circumcision as a possible form of child abuse, according to a new report.The draft guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service regarding “honour-based abuse, forced marriages, and harmful practices” categorizes male circumcision alongside severe abuses such as virginity testing, hymenoplasty, and exorcisms, the Guardian reports.According to the text of the draft, while “there is not a specific criminal offence of carrying out male circumcision” — unlike female genital mutilation — the procedure is under scrutiny. The document warns that circumcision “can be a painful and harmful practice, if carried out incorrectly or in inappropriate circumstances. It may be a form of child abuse or an offence against the person,” the report says.The proposed classification has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish and Muslim organizations, who argue the wording risks stigmatizing a lawful and central religious rite.Jonathan Arkush, former president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and co-chairman of Milah UK, criticized the draft for grouping the practice with criminal abuses.“To suggest that circumcision is in itself a harmful practice, is deeply pejorative and misplaced,” Mr. Arkush told The Guardian. “Any procedure that is carried out inappropriately or without proper controls, including piercing a child’s ears, could be a harmful practice and a possible case of child abuse.”Mr. Arkush said that “stringent standards” within the Jewish community prevent harm. “Circumcision is a core part of our identity. I have never met any Jewish man who thinks they’ve been harmed by circumcision,” he said, adding that he expects the final draft to be amended as the current version is “so obviously incorrect and/or misleading.”The Muslim Council of Britain also voiced strong opposition, stating that the procedure has “recognized medical, religious and cultural foundations.”“Male circumcision is a lawful practice in the UK … and it should not be characterised in itself as child abuse,” the council said in a statement. However, they acknowledged the need for safety. “Where procedures are carried out irresponsibly, without proper safeguards, and cause harm, they may rightly fall within the scope of criminal law.”The CPS guidance follows a series of warnings from coroners and judges regarding the lack of regulation surrounding the procedure, particularly when performed outside of medical settings.According to the Office for National Statistics, seven deaths of boys under the age of 18 have been recorded since 2001 in cases where circumcision was a contributing factor. At least three of these involved infants who bled to death, the Guardian reported.However the National Secular Society welcomed the CPS guidelines. Alejandro Sanchez, the society’s human rights lead and a former NHS doctor, told the Guardian, “Circumcision, as a surgery, is inherently dangerous. It should only be performed by doctors and, when it comes to children, only with medical necessity.”“Decisions about circumcision should therefore be deferred until the individual is old enough to decide for himself, based on his own values,” the doctor said.

Draft Guidance Listing Circumcision as Potential Child Abuse Sparks Backlash in UK

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