Application of Health Standards in Traditional Circumcision Act
The Application of Health Standards in Traditional Circumcision Act (No. 6 of 2001) is an act of the provincial legislature of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
The purpose of the act is to improve hygienic standards for the rite of traditional circumcision, however there has been considerable resistance to the introduction of hygenic standards by traditional leaders.[1] The act requires such precautions as:
Traditional practitioners have to apply for written permission to perform circumcisions, to hold circumcision schools and to treat initiates. Permission is granted by the medical officer designated for the area. One of the preconditions is the guarantee of sterile instruments. Prospective initiates have to undergo a pre-circumcision medical examination by a medical doctor to establish their fitness for the procedure. In the case of initiates below the age of 21 years the written consent of a parent or guardian is required.[2]
The Eastern Cape Province is the home of the Xhosa people whose traditions require circumcision as a rite of passage to adulthood.
See also
External links
Male Circumcision Policy, Practices and Services in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa 
, World Health Organisation. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
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References
- ↑
Sidley, Pat. Eastern Cape tightens law on circumcision to stem casualties. BMJ. 10 November 2001; 323(7321): 1090. PMID. PMC. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ↑ Meissner, O, Buso DL. Traditional male circumcision in the Eastern Cape – scourge or blessing?. SAMJ. May 2007; 97(5): 371-73. PMID. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
