Circumcision classed as potentially harmful practice in new CPS guidance | Circumcision

Circumcision has been classified as a potentially dangerous practice in new official guidance for criminal prosecutors in England and Wales, but controversial plans to classify it as possible child abuse have been abandoned.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to include circumcision alongside dowry abuse, witchcraft and female genital mutilation in its new guidelines on honour-based abuse, after objections from Jewish and Muslim groups when the plans were revealed by the Guardian.

Instead, it included a similar section on circumcision in the updated guidelines on offenses against the person. It says: “In certain circumstances, such as when the procedure is carried out by people falsely claiming to be suitably qualified practitioners or carried out in non-sterile conditions, it may cross the line and become a dangerous practice. »

Prosecutors are advised to consider child cruelty offenses under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 or assault offenses under the Offenses Against the Person Act 1861. The guidance also refers to separate guidance on child abuse.

Previous CPS language classifying circumcision as a possible “form of child abuse” was removed after sparking concern among religious leaders. Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain said the late Queen Elizabeth II was not accused of child abuse when her three sons were each circumcised.

Romain, president of the Reform Beit Din, the religious court of progressive Judaism, said he approved of the changed wording. “I very much welcome the CPS’s change in attitude away from criticizing circumcision, as it is an important practice for many people of different faiths and cultures,” he told the Guardian.

He added: “Circumcision can be safe and meaningful if carried out by experts, but dishonest operators can both discredit it and put children at risk. »

Jonathan Arkush, co-chair of Milah UK, which promotes and protects the Jewish community’s right to practice religious circumcision, said the guidelines confirmed “the long-standing status of male circumcision as a legal practice”.

He added: “Male circumcision as practiced by the Jewish community was not and is in no way linked to the concept of honour-based abuse, as the CPS has rightly recognised. The updated guidance corrected wording which appeared in an early draft reported by the Guardian.

“Some of the references to male circumcision that appeared in the first draft were misleading and false. The CPS should be commended for correcting the errors.”

Since 2001, circumcision has been the cause of the deaths of seven boys, including three babies who bled to death. Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust admitted 29 babies between 2022 and 2024 with serious circumcision-related complications, including sepsis and haemorrhage, according to figures obtained under freedom of information laws.

Last December, a coroner issued warnings about insufficient regulation over who can perform circumcision, after the death of six-month-old boy Mohamed Abdisamad from a streptococcal infection in 2023.

In January 2025, Mohammad Siddiqui, a former doctor, was jailed for causing “gratuitous pain and suffering” during circumcisions performed between 2014 and 2019. In May, Mohammed Alazawi, who falsely claimed to be a doctor, was convicted of six counts of intentional wounding during circumcision procedures.

Alejandro Sanchez, head of human rights at the National Secular Society, said: “Given the appalling harm caused to children by Mohammad Siddiqui and Mohammed Alazawi, the CPS is absolutely right to include circumcision in the new prosecution guidelines.

“Despite the efforts of circumcision apologists, the guidelines rightly argue that the practice can constitute child abuse and cruelty. Religious groups that openly perform circumcisions without anesthesia – which the CPS described last year as a ‘wanton infliction of pain’ – should take note.”

A father, who wished to remain anonymous and is filing a complaint against a doctor who left his son badly mutilated after a botched circumcision, said the new guidelines were a “positive step” but were too vague.

He said: “Without clearer definitions and practical guidance on consent, safeguarding and best interests, the guidance risks providing reassurance on paper while leaving families without meaningful protection in practice. »

A CPS spokesperson said it recognized that circumcision was “a legal practice which has social, cultural and religious significance”, adding: “However, there are some cases where the procedure is carried out inappropriately and in unsafe conditions where it can cause significant harm and distress to victims. Our guidance asks prosecutors to consider the circumstances on a case-by-case basis, noting factors which may lead to the practice amounting to a criminal offence.”