DARWIN: ABC's coverage of circumcision botch "insensitive"

The Drum
March 6, 2014

ABC circumcision reports were culturally insensitive

by Murray McLaughlin
In January, the ABC reported on an Aboriginal initiation ceremony involving circumcision in which three boys were injured. Below, Northern Land Council media officer Murray McLaughlin writes that the reporting smacked of value judgement and cultural superiority. The ABC's head of current affairs Bruce Belsham writes in defence of the investigation here.

Over more than 35 years I have sat in many long meetings in Aboriginal communities in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. But the meeting on February 19 this year at Borroloola had a real poignancy. About 40 Aboriginal men were gathered at the Northern Land Council's regional office and they were hurting.

I was there in my job as media officer for the Northern Land Council, with NLC chairman Samuel Bush-Blanasi and two other members of his executive, to hear the anguished reactions of men, young and old, to a story that the ABC ran on January 22 about a traditional initiation ceremony before Christmas that had gone "horribly wrong".

The ABC had learned that three young men had to be flown from Borroloola to hospital in Darwin after they had been circumcised. Norman Hermant, the ABC's social affairs correspondent, travelled all the way from Melbourne to Borroloola, a small, very remote and deprived town in the Northern Territory's Gulf country, with "just one mobile number in hand and a list of other 'less likely' numbers". He has written here about his assignment.

The one number belonged to the health centre's ambulance driver, William Miller, whose grandson was one of the three who were flown to Darwin. He was most upset when he saw his grandson bleeding from his circumcision cut and was the main interviewee in Hermant's story, versions of which were shown on 7.30 and other ABC programs, including online.

Miller appeared nervous at the meeting I attended and his sense of upset was, at first, still apparent. But, catching the mood of those before him, he apologised a couple of times for having caused offence by speaking to the ABC about his grandson's injury - thereby offending precepts of Aboriginal law, as the men attest in their statement below.

The greatest sense of offence felt by the men was reserved for the ABC story itself. When the NLC party arrived from Darwin, the chairman was presented with a typed statement, which encapsulated the sentiments forcefully articulated later at the meeting of men. It is reproduced here in full with the permission of the men attending the meeting:
We, the Garrawa, Yanyula, Mara and Gurdanji people of Borroloola are deeply hurt and disappointed at the recent story told by the ABC about our Young Men's Initiation Ceremony. This ceremony has existed in our cultures for thousands of years and is very sacred! The sacredness of our ritual strictly forbids viewing and comment by the public. Open discussion in front of women and those who are uninitiated is a very serious infringement. In the past such an infringement would have met with dire consequences. Moreover, we feel that we have been ridiculed in the story and demand that the record be set straight. We have been conducting this sacred ritual in Borroloola area for generations in a safe and sensible manner. It should be understood that there were more than 100 boys initiated in the recent ceremony period without incident. In later years, we have carried out the practice with the support of the Borroloola Medical Clinic but in our own environment not at the Clinic. In the past we had the support of Aboriginal Male Health Workers and especially the support of Dr Peter Fitzpatrick while he was a permanent local based doctor. Changes in Health Department policy means that the community now lacks a permanent doctor. An integrated Community Model would certainly benefit the community and prevent such occurrences. We strongly believe that in this insistence our sacred practices should not have been put in the spotlight. We do have a right to privacy which should have been respected. The community is in shock and our old people in particular are deeply hurt. We demand an apology. The way this story portrayed one of our most sacred rituals has deeply offended us and we feel that it has impacted on our Cultural Integrity!
The statement, with its request for an apology, has been sent to the ABC. NLC chairman Samuel Bush-Blanasi has asked for it to be handled quickly because feelings are running high out Borroloola way.
Hermant's report has damaged the previously satisfactory relationship between the Aboriginal people of Borroloola and the ABC. It has also caused ostracism of Miller, in spite of his apology, by the overwhelmingly Aboriginal town. Worse, there's a widened rift between the Aboriginal townspeople and the medical clinic.

...

Hermant reported that the NT Child Abuse Taskforce had received two notifications about the incident, but an investigation had not identified any wrongdoing.

The Northern Territory Attorney General, John Elferink (a lawyer and former policeman with experience in the bush and exposure to Aboriginal cultural practices), accepted that finding.

"No abuse was found to have occurred," Elferink told Hermant, "and in the absence of that, and in the absence of criminality ... it's a parental decision on how to bring up the kids," he said.

Earlier story

DARWIN: Three botched boys "not abused"

ABC News
January 22, 2014

Anger in NT community after circumcision rite ends with three boys airlifted to hospital

by Norman Hermant and Alison McClymont
There is still anger in a remote Northern Territory community after three teenage boys had to be medically evacuated following an Indigenous initiation ceremony which went horribly wrong.

The boys were part of a group of about 20 who were circumcised two days before Christmas near the small Gulf of Carpentaria town of Borroloola, 700 kilometres east of Darwin.

They were so badly cut during the procedure that they had to be taken to Darwin for urgent treatment.
Local ambulance driver William Miller arrived at the ceremony to find his 17-year-old grandson Bryce severely injured.

"I took one look at him and he was sitting in a pool of blood ... and that really hurt me, that did," he said.

"I wasn't happy at all, with the whole people who done the job."

Bryce Miller, who had to be airlifted to hospital, had pushed his grandfather to allow him to participate in the ceremony.

"When I got cut, and I seen the blood squirting through on the wrong side, it was bad. Squirting out bad ... heaps. And losing a lot of blood," he said.

The ABC understands instruments from the local health clinic were used in the ceremony and have regularly been supplied in the past, in line with Health Department guidelines.

Nurses and doctors from the clinic have also attended previous ceremonies, but were not present at last December's ritual.

Some of the clinic's health professionals have told the ABC they were appalled by the injuries they saw. But none is willing to speak publicly for fear of dismissal.

Investigators say injuries do not constitute child abuse
The Northern Territory Government says it is aware of the case, and so far its investigators have found the injuries do not constitute child abuse.

The NT Child Abuse Taskforce received two notifications about the incident, leading to an investigation by two police officers and the Department of Children and Families.

But their enquiries found that the children had not been harmed as defined by the Care and Protection of Children Act.
[Huh? Why not?]
The Department said it would continue to conduct enquiries into the wellbeing of the young men.
NT Attorney-General John Elferink said any suggestion of child abuse was taken very seriously.

"A more fulsome investigation was done in this instance because of the sensitivities involved," he said.

"No abuse was found to have occurred and in the absence of that and in the absence of criminality ... it's a parental decision on how to bring up the kids."

Mr Elferink says he has lived and worked in remote communities and understands how traditional practices occur.

But he believes there should always be checks for child abuse.

"There are number of cultures that operate in the NT and even more Australia-wide - Islamic cultures, Christian cultures, Aboriginal cultures, other religions and other cultural practices," he said.

"So long as those practices don't amount to child abuse, there is no role for the state. So long as those practices don't amount to criminality, there is no role of the state. It's called a free country."

Elders say ceremony a critical cultural step for young men
The circumcision ceremony dates back thousands of years and is common practice in traditional and remote communities across northern Australia.

Elders say the ceremony is a critical cultural step where boys become men.

The elders who supervised the circumcision said the injuries were likely caused by a visiting family member who is still learning the ritual.

"I think some place he make mistake, some place he don't, you know?" said traditional Garrawa elder Keith Rory.

Mr Rory said he had been conducting the ritual for 20 years.

"This ceremony is really strong. It goes back, way back to the old days when it first started," he said.
"People used different sort of stuff with young men ... these days we get it from the clinic but in those days they used stone and stuff they made it themselves.

"It is traditional stuff and it's sacred stuff."

Borroloola's former doctor, Dr Peter Fitzpatrick, says it is not the first time young men have needed medical care after initiation.

"They're doing lots of young men and it's a remote area and I've seen and evacuated young men myself," he said.

Dr Fitzpatrick, whose own sons have been initiated, says with any surgical procedure there are sometimes complications.

"These events occur in remote areas... they're not actually occurring within cooee of an A&E department, and people live in remote areas, that increases the risk," he said.

"The ceremony is very, very important to Indigenous communities.

"As long as there's some procedures and understanding and harm minimisation is there then its maybe at an acceptable level to the community."

Injured teenager has 'no regrets' over ritual
Bryce Miller has recovered from his injuries and says he has no regrets participating in this initiation into manhood.

His grandfather William, on the other hand, says no other family members will ever take part again.

Others in the community, including Garrawa man Gadrian Hoosen, say the ceremony will continue.

"[There's] no point talking about our ceremony because that's not going to stop us from carrying that culture," he said.

"We're going to carry it on."

EASTERN CAPE: Doctor blows whistle on botched circumcisions

Shooting the messenger...

Dispatch Online (South Africa)
January 11, 2014

Outrage over graphic circumcision website

by Bongani Fuzile and Zwanga Mukuthu
A WEBSITE set up by a controversial Dutch doctor showing graphic images of mutilated and infected penises of Eastern Cape initiates has caused outrage among traditional leaders in the province.

Dr Dingeman Rijken, a former employee of the Eastern Cape department of health, said he set the website up “for the world to see”.

Rijken said this was a last-ditch effort to show traditional leaders and local communities that initiation was not just a ritual, but in many cases resulted in genital mutilation that had led to the death of hundreds of young boys, while thousands have had their penises amputated or disfigured.

Rijken said he had on numerous occasions requested that initiates undergo medical circumcision but “weak” traditional leaders had shown no interest.

Instead, circumcision was being carried out by traditional surgeons who were sometimes incompetent or did not use sterilised equipment.

Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch this week and referring to traditional leaders, Rijken said the “self-proclaimed custodians of the ritual” called numerous meetings to discuss the death of initiates but there were never any solutions.

“Why do we sustain a ritual that slaughters boys in their prime or physically and mentally scars many others for life?” he asked.

“Many have lost their manhood while hundreds have suffered penile amputation. These deaths were avoidable. If the weak traditional leaders continue to do this, many innocent lives will be lost. These leaders need to wake up,” he said.

But the doctor’s website has come in for criticism from several quarters and he has been accused of exposing a sacred initiation custom to the world.

Over 200 graphic images on the website show close-ups of penises infected with gangrene and skin-loss while others show botched circumcisions. [NSFW - disturbing]

Rijken said he had permission to publish the pictures from the initiates concerned. “I took those pictures because I was given consent by those involved, including the initiates themselves,” he said.

But Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders deputy chairman Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe said it was “disgusting” that a foreign national could “undermine” the country’s customs. [Disgusting customs need to be undermined.]

“If I had the power I would send officials to arrest this doctor immediately,” Burns-Ncamashe said.

Nkululeko Nxesi of the Community Development Foundation of South Africa, an NGO that runs initiation rescue centres, said the website was an embarrassment to the AmaXhosa nation. [It certainly is, but not in the way they want to think.]

“This [the website] will undermine the work that is being done by traditional leaders and government and us,” Nxesi said. “He [Rijken] should respect the cultural principles and processes of this nation. This embarrassing thing he has done assumes that there is nothing being done to curb this.”

Rijken is no stranger to controversy. He worked at Flagstaff’s Holy Cross Hospital and last year released a training manual to assist in the ritual. However, it was not well received as it carried a picture of an initiate being circumcised.

Rijken said that from 1995 until now, 819 boys had lost their lives undergoing the rite, while thousands had been left mutilated.

On the website he said many of the initiates huts are built in secluded locations and centralised initiation schools were needed.

Health department spokesman, Sizwe Kupelo said the department had distanced itself from Rijken, as he was a former employee.

Kupelo said it was suspected that the pictures may have been taken at a time when Rijken was in the department’s employ. “The department will investigate and may report the doctor to the Health Professions Council [of SA] if he is found to have violated the patients’ rights by publishing the pictures,” Kupelo said.

Rijken is due to leave for Malawi, where he will start work at a local hospital, within a few weeks.
He said boys would continue to die unless medically trained personnel carried out circumcisions. [Or genital cutting stopped.]

The website – www.ulwaluko.co.za – contains graphic images.

Earlier story

EASTERN CAPE: Diet a factor in circumcison deaths

ENCA (South Africa)
January 8, 2014

Diet a factor in initiation school deaths

BHISHO - More than 500 boys have died at initiation schools in the Eastern Cape since 2006.
The Provincial Health Department says mainly due to dehydration and hypotension. [low blood pressure]

It says poor diet in the days following the circumcision also played a factor.

The first seven days after a boy has been circumcised are the most crucial, intense care and caution is needed as this could mean life or death.

The elders say the initiates have to follow a strict and special diet during umaluko (initiation).

Since the start of December, 35 boys have died in initiation schools in the Eastern Cape.

Earlier story

TURKANA, KENYA: Circumcised youths go on killing sprees

When just getting circumcised isn't enough....

Standard Digital News
August 6, 2013

Why Turkana residents cross fingers when August sets in

by Lucas Ng'asike

Turkana, Kenya: August is a dreaded month among many fishermen in Turkana. They fear venturing into Lake Turkana, which is one of the world’s rarest desert lake, and is home to nutritious and abundant fish stocks.

But inside the lake, especially in August, death lurks, thanks to foreign militia from neighbouring Ethiopia.

The militia group from Merille community in Ethiopia raids fishermen mostly in August.

During the month, newly circumcised Merille youth are required to kill people from an ‘enemy community’ and bring back their private parts as a sign of heroism.

Both Merille and Turkana live on the border of their two countries. They have staged attacks against each other for years with the worst one being in 2011, which left over 60 Turkana men, women and children dead.

Turkana North OCPD Bernard Nyakwaka said during the 2011 massacre, they recovered bodies that had missing private parts.

“Men are targeted most for mutilation of their private parts and this happens in attacks in August,” he told The Standard.

During the attacks, many locals have been abducted and killed and their bodies are hardly recovered.

Old way of life
Ethiopian elder Lotikori Yarakal confirmed that August marks the season when young men among the Merille graduate into manhood.

“They congregate around River Omo (in Ethiopia) where they are circumcised and conditions set before they graduate to become men,” he said.

Yarakal, who refused to be photographed for this story, said the Merille are still steeped in tradition and old way of life.

“One of the mandatory requirement is that they go out and kill their ‘enemies’ and bring back their private parts,” he said. Yarakal also said the new initiates are required to steal from their victims by raiding villages for livestock.

“They arm themselves to the teeth and plan before staging a surprise attack on land or in the lake,” he revealed.

Yarakal said abducting the ‘enemy’ is a plus for the youth but when time does not allow, they kill and leave the bodies but chop off private parts and disappear with them.

On August 1, the Merille militia struck, abducting four Turkana fishermen, who are now feared dead. ...

The over 60 Turkana locals were killed after they were tricked into crossing to Ethiopia to get food following drought on the Kenyan side. ...

An Ethiopian source said militiamen who kill are asked to choose beautiful girls to marry.

They get the girls after showing private parts of those they killed. Turkana leaders have condemned the long-standing assault by the militia and are now calling on the international community to intervene.

The leaders, among them Turkana Senator John Munyes and Turkana North MP Christopher Nakuleu described the killings as illegal human sacrifices.

“They are not only barbaric acts but are gross human rights violations by the militia group, which must be held accountable,” said Munyes.

...