The procedure carried out in accordance with tradition, which states boys must be circumcised before puberty


Striking images have captured young boys during a mass circumcision for refugees - many who were forced to move after volcanic eruptions at Mount Sinabung throughout 2014 - in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The procedures were carried out on boys who had not yet reached puberty at a make-shift clinic in Kabanjahe on Thursday.

In accordance with tradition, young Indonesian Muslim men must be circumcised before puberty, Xinhua reported.

Striking images have captured young boys during a mass circumcision for refugees in North Sumatra, Indonesia

A man embraces his son during a free mass circumcision for Mount Sinabung's refugees at Kabanjahe, North Sumatra

A young boy smiles as he waits on a table to have a circumcision performed on him in Indonesia

The photographs show a contrast of emotions, including shots of young boys crying in pain as the act was carried out.

In one photo, a patient in a bright orange t-shirt has his mouth wide-open as he screams, as two nurses and a table stacked with medical equipment can be seen around him.

However, the next picture portrays another equally powerful emotion, as the boy's father lovingly cradles his son in his arms.

In the photo, the young boy is no longer crying, and instead has stretched his arms out to wrap them around his father's neck.

Paramedics are seen performing a circumcision on a boy as another man gentle holds the boy's hand

A crying boy pulls a sheet over his eyes and is comforted by a family member during a mass circumcision in Indonesia

A boy is seen after as being circumcised during a charge-free mass circumcision provided for the refugees in northern Sumuatra

A boy is seen in pain as two adults comfort him during a circumcision in Kabanjahe, Indonesia

The full range of emotion shows in the pictures is completed with another image, which features a young boy smiling from ear to ear.

The camp is full of refugees created after recent eruptions of the Mount Sinabung, the country's most active volcano.

In 2014 it was reported tens of thousands of people had become refugees after the blasts, which blanketed dozens of towns in ash from the then-daily eruptions.

The most recent string of eruptions ended in October 2014, after spewing ash into the air and causing landslides in nearby towns and villages.

An elderly man pats a young boy on the head and comforts him during a procedure in Indonesia

Children look at their friend while he is being circumcised during a charge-free mass circumcision

A boy reacts as paramedics performs a circumcision on him

The pain is too much for one boy who buries his head in his hands to try to hide the pain during a circumcision