Medically assisted circumcision: a safer option for initiation rites

Culturally sensitive integration of medical circumcision could avert adverse effects at traditional male initiation rites

In many traditional cultures, male initiation rites involve circumcision practices that can sometimes result in medical complications. In a recent incident in the Northern Territory, three young men required airlifting from their Borroloola initiation site to Darwin for medical assistance.1 The risk of permanent harm and potentially fatal outcomes could be decreased if safer options were available during initiation ceremonies. In this article, we report that it is possible to provide safe circumcision at male initiation rites.