Abstract
"He died because it was traditionally done at the pit 'Muganda,' so...that gave me fear" -- The impact of traditional circumcision on the scale-up of male circumcision services in Zambia (PDF)
Poster presentation at the 6th International AIDS Society Conference, Rome, Italy, 17-20 July
Friedland,Barbara A.; Schenk,Katie D.; Sheehy,Meredith; Munjile,Kelvin; Apicella,Louis; Hewett,Paul C.
Publication date: 2011
Poster presentation given by Population Council researcher, Barbara Friedland, at the 6th International AIDS Society Conference, Rome, Italy, 17-20 July 2011. As part of an evaluation of the informed consent process for male circumcision (MC) at selected clinics in Lusaka, Zambia, Council researchers and partners explored whether traditional MC impacted a client's decision to undergo medical MC or not. Findings showed that traditional MC has a mixed impact on the decision to undergo MC. Some respondents chose to undergo medical MC because they learned about disease prevention from friends or relatives practicing traditional MC; and some respondents from traditionally circumcising tribes chose medical MC as a safer or less-costly option. Negative influences of the practice of traditional MC include stories of death and the rejection of all circumcision, including medical, by men from nontraditionally circumcising tribes. Based on these findings, researchers recommend that community sensitization to promote MC should address fears and barriers associated with traditional MC by providing practical information emphasizing the medical benefits and stressing that MC is part of a broader HIV prevention package. Providers of medical MC should consider collaborating with tribes that already perform circumcision and engage with traditional circumcisers to incorporate medical MC into traditional practices.
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