Circumcision should be a criminal offence, says campaign group A campaign group wants circumcision to be recognised as male genital mutilation (MGM) and for it to be considered a […]

A campaign group wants circumcision to be recognised as male genital mutilation (MGM) and for it to be considered a criminal offence.

Circumcision is assumed to be lawful as long as both parents consent, however Richard Duncker of the Men Do Complain campaign said: “I don’t think there is any excuse to wound a child.”

“I think we should be looking to protect children… I think it’s an appalling thing that we tolerate it.”

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Mr Duncker was speaking after a mother told her story of finding out that her baby son had been circumcised without her consent.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent, the BBC reports.

FGM Female genital mutilation is when a female, usually between infancy and before puberty, has her genitals cut, injured or changed for no medical reason. The female tends to be from an African, Middle Eastern or Asian background. It is illegal in the UK. FGM generally falls into four categories: clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation and a procedure which could include pricking, piercing or scraping the genitals. Reasons for performing FGM can include to preserve virginity, to prepare the girl for marriage or to discourage sex outside marriage. It is also sometimes seen as a social norm. The procedure is very painful and often does not use anaesthetic or antiseptics. It can cause physical health problems – pain, infections, bleeding and problems passing urine – and mental health problems as well as lead to issues with sex, getting pregnant and having children. More information is available on the NHS website Male circumcision Circumcision is when the foreskin is removed from the penis for medical, religious or cultural reasons (such as in Jewish and Islamic communities). Circumcisions may be carried out for medical reasons such as when a male has an issue with his foreskin, however there are often non-surgical treatments available. For non-medical reasons, it can be done for purification or as a rite of passage into adulthood. The procedure is painful but males tend to be under anaesthetic. It is usually a low-risk procedure. More information for boys and men is available on the NHS website.

‘Can’t protect a boy’

The mother believes that circumcision is equivalent to genital mutilation, saying: “There’s something seriously not right with it all. You can protect a dog, you can protect a girl, but not a boy.”

Society turns a blind eye to male circumcision, said Mr Duncker.

Referring to circumcision in healthy children, he said: “When you start to look at the Offences Against the Person Act, you find that a cut through the full thickness of the skin – which circumcision clearly is – is a wounding.”

Unlike FGM, there are some medical circumstances for carrying out male circumcision, usually if there is an issue with the foreskin.

Mr Duncker said that MGM should fall under the act to lead to prosecution.

He agreed that MGM was not as widely understood at FGM, with some people believing the former is always done in a hospital by someone who is trained.

MGM not taken as seriously as FGM

“I think [MGM] isn’t taken as seriously as FGM. The reason for that is that the worst case of FGM is what pops into a person’s head.”

Mr Duncker referred to the the FGM Act, which classifies “pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the genital area” as a possible offence.

“What people forget is there is a whole spectrum of practices here and there is a whole spectrum of practices in MGM too.”

Using the phrase MGM clarifies what happens when a male is circumcised, said Mr Duncker.

“I think to make it a euphemism of ‘circumcision’ makes it sound sanitised. It doesn’t really paint the true picture of what’s going on.”