Success! Prosecution Guidance Includes Circumcision For First Time

National Secular Society ★ Circumcision of boys may constitute "child cruelty" and prosecutors instructed to consult child abuse guidance.

New Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance on offences against the person includes male circumcision for the first time.

The inclusion comes after successful advocacy from the National Secular Society, which campaigns to protect all children from non-therapeutic genital cutting.

The new guidance says that circumcision "can cross the line into a harmful practice", and encourages prosecutors to consider whether "child cruelty", "allowing a child to suffer serious harm" or "assaults" have been committed.

In a clear indication that the practice can constitute child abuse, the guidance instructs prosecutors to "refer to the Child Abuse (non-sexual) prosecution guidance".

The guidance comes amid new NSS research which shows 29 babies were hospitalised with serious post-circumcision complications – including haemorrhage, shock and sepsis - between 2022 and 2024 at just one NHS trust.

The data also reveals over 1,000 emergency department admissions of boys with circumcision-related complications between 2009 and 2024 at the same trust.

"Gratuitous infliction of pain"

The NSS urged the CPS to include circumcision in prosecutorial guidance following the conviction of two ritual circumcisers for serious crimes against boys.

Continue @ NSS.