Excerpt:
The revised Zimbabwe Policy Guidelines on Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision of 2014 estimated the number of circumcised men to be just 10 per cent. But in January 2015, Zimbabwe launched an ambitious US$100 million male circumcision programme which aims to get 80 per cent of Zimbabwean men (around 2 million men) circumcised voluntarily by 2018.
In order to increase male participation in circumcision, it will be provided alongside other male sexual and reproductive health services. But to achieve these ambitious targets, the government needs to ensure people have access to accurate information. According to the guidelines on male circumcision, “This shall entail broad community engagement, initially to introduce, and later to scale up male circumcision services.”
Zimbabwe has also introduced the non-surgical method of circumcision in some towns and centres. This consists of a device made of a plastic and rubber ring that stops the flow of blood to the part of the foreskin that is to be removed.
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According to research commissioned by the University of Zimbabwe and Ministry of Health and Child Care, there are various reasons why some men in Zimbabwe shun the procedure. These include fear of poor wound healing and fear of knowing one’s HIV status, which is one of the standard tests done when providing voluntary male circumcision.
Allenah, 27, who grew up in a polygamous family, argues that male circumcision is alien to his culture. “My father was not circumcised but lived a healthy life with his three wives. This is against our culture,” he said.
Eunice, a married woman from Harare, says she is not comfortable with her husband getting circumcised. She is concerned that the idea of “being safe” is likely to influence him to become sexually active outside of the marriage.
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Other Nathan Mutendi, a university student, believes circumcision is an unnecessary process as it is not as effective as wearing a condom when having sexual intercourse.
“I do not see the reason why I should get circumcised to protect myself from HIV and then later wear a condom which is proven to be more than 99 per cent safe,” says Mutendi.
But, as Dr Makaure explains: “There are incidents in which a condom is worn in a wrong way and, due to friction, breaks down. In such cases, uncircumcised men are at a higher risk than those who are circumcised.”
Archived URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20151029071737/http://www.keycorrespondents.org/2015/09/29/chifambas-story-circumcision-made-me-a-happy-man/
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