Concerns of Distressed Communities Towards Male Circumcision

Abstract

ABSTRACT The relevance and sacredness of contemporary traditional male circumcision (TMC) as a rite has come under scrutiny in recent years by both stakeholders and the communities practising the rite. To examine the concerns of the distressed communities, the study adopted a qualitative approach complimented by exploratory, descriptive, and case study designs as its research design. A sample of three key informants, and purposively selected men and women from the Bisho community aged 30 years and over were utilised for the study. Participants shared an array of concerns and distresses associated with the rite, including 1) deterioration of the relevance of rite, 2) absence of family support systems, 4) portrayal of perfidious behaviour by initiation graduates, and 5) family and social responsibility proving to be a burden too heavy for initiation graduates. The study recommends the need for raising awareness on retrogressive aspects of TMC, the practical implementation of legislation by the government, and the strengthening of psycho-social support programmes for communities practising the rite.