Milah UK, the organisation which safeguards the practice of brit in the Jewish community, has welcomed guidance on circumcision for prosecutors after a reference to it as potentially a form of “child abuse” was dropped from an earlier draft.
The Crown Prosecution Service makes clear that circumcision is a “legal practice” which has religious significance for Jews and Muslims and in some African communities but that it could be “harmful” when carried out in unsafe conditions.
In a statement, Milah UK said the guidance was “clearly expressed and right in principle” whereas some of the references in the earlier draft were “misleading and wrong”.
The information on circumcision appears in a section on offences against the person, rather in another on “honour-based abuse” that includes forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
Milah UK said the guidance, issued last week, “reflects our long held view that in certain circumstances, such as the procedure being carried out by those falsely claiming to be suitably qualified practitioners or carried out in non-sterile conditions, it can cross the line into a harmful practice.
“That is why the Jewish community has strict regulation in force to ensure that circumcision can only be carried out by properly trained and qualified practitioners – known as mohelim – in safe and sterile conditions.”
Brit Milah was “not in any way related to the concept of honour-based abuse, as the CPS has rightly recognised,” Milah UK said. The CPS was “to be commended for putting right the errors.”
A CPS spokesperson said, “We recognise male circumcision as a legal practice that carries social, cultural and religious significance, and can also be undertaken for medical purposes.
“However, there are certain cases when the procedure is carried out improperly and in unsafe conditions where it can cause significant harm and distress to victims.
“Our guidance directs prosecutors to consider the circumstances on a case-by-case basis, noting the factors that may lead to the practice amounting to a criminal offence.”
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.