Initiation schools should abide by the Children’s Act when performing circumcision on boys, the SA [b]National Prosecuting Authority[/b] said. ‘Those who contravene these sections will be prosecuted,’ NPA spokesperson Nathi Mncube is quoted in [s]News24[/s] as saying. He said according to the Act, boys under the age of 16 may only be circumcised if this was performed for religious purposes, or if the circumcision procedure was necessary for medical reasons, were based upon the recommendation of a medical practitioner.
A new report shows that more than half a million boys have been hospitalised due to botched traditional circumcisions since 2008. According to [s]Health-e[/s], the report from the [b]Commission for the Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL)[/b] says that the dangerous commerc ialisation of tradition is fuelling the rise of illegal initiation schools in which drug abuse and violence may be rampant. In the last seven years, about 456,000 initiates have been hospitalised in the [b]Eastern Cape[/b] and [b]Limpopo[/b]. Based on community consultations, the report also highlighted that at least 419 boys had died in the two provinces during the same period. CRL chair Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said botched circumcisions, abuse and drug use associated with illegal schools, will be the death of the time-honoured practice.
[link url=http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Initiation-schools-must-abide-by-act-NPA-20140626]Full News24 report[/link]
[link url=http://www.gov.za/events/2013/cpw/childrens_act_booklet.pdf]Children’s Act[/link]
[link url=http://www.health-e.org.za/2014/06/25/half-million-initiates-maimed-knife/]Full Health-e report[/link]
[link url=http://www.crlcommission.org.za]CRL Commission report[/link]