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Churches and citizens in Papua reject circumcision
(Agung Parameswara/Getty Images via tempo
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(Agung Parameswara/Getty Images via tempo.co) (Agung Parameswara/Getty Images via tempo.co)
(Agung Parameswara/Getty Images via tempo.co)
Arguing based on religious belief, citizens and church leaders in Paniai regency, Papua, have rejected a local hospital policy of circumcising boys and men to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Febur Mote, head of the Paniai regional hospital, said on Wednesday that several churches immediately destroyed the invitations flyers they received. He said that the predominantly Christian population of Paniai was against circumcision because they believed that God's creation must not be altered, and because the practice is widely believed to be something done by Muslims and not Christians.
"The Health Office only wanted to promote [circumcision] to prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexual transmitted diseases," Febur said as quoted by Antara news agency.
The hospital had tried to educate people about the health benefits of circumcision but, as Febur explains, it proved a difficult task to change people's minds.
Despite the rejections, the hospital will continue to promote circumcision to government agencies (SKPD), churches and schools around Paniai.
'So far, as a result of our efforts, only 67 people have been circumcised. A large portion of the population have rejected it,' he said.
The Papua AIDS Eradication Commission (KPAD) revealed that people infected with AIDS had grown at an alarming rate in Indonesia's eastern-most province, with the disease having affecting 19,000 people since the virus was first detected in Merauke in 1992, KPAD secretary Constant Karma said in July. She further explained that circumcision prevented men from contracting venereal diseases, a stepping stone in the spread of HIV/AIDS.
In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS argued that circumcising men in high-risk AIDS areas could reduce the risk of HIV infection by approximately 60 percent. (liz/rin)(+)
