Male Circumcision Fact sheet

Recent research evidence has shown “that male circumcision is efficacious in reducing sexual transmission of HIV from women to men” .  While this data is welcome in increasing our arsenal in addressing this deadly epidemic, it also raises some serious issues.

As women continue to be at the epicentre of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. (ref), there are serious concerns that circumcision will be seen as a ‘magic bullet’ for HIV prevention, instead of being complementary to other ways of reducing risk of HIV infection.

While the research shows that male circumcision is a viable strategy for the prevention of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men, at the same time it is also showing that male circumcision does not provide complete protection against HIV infection. Circumcised men can still become infected with the virus and, if HIV-positive, can infect their sexual partners.

The Women Won’t Wait Coalition would like to point out some of the following potential harmful outcomes of ‘blindly’ promoting male circumcision:

0 There is insufficient data to show whether male circumcision results in a direct reduction of transmission from HIV-positive men to women.

0 A false sense of protection for men which could in turn compromise women’s ability to negotiate conditions of sex (if and when sex happens, condom use, etc) and increase gender-based violence.  The WHO/UNAIDS report have advised “policy makers and programme developers to monitor and minimize potential harmful outcomes of promoting male circumcision as an HIV prevention method such as unsafe sex, sexual violence or conflation of male circumcision with female genital mutilation.”  

0 The positioning of male circumcision as reducing transmission from women to men continues the perception of women as vectors or transmitters of disease and may in turn lead to increased gender-based violence. It is of great concern that once again, men have yet another prevention strategy in their hands that can allow them to question who is to blame for high rates of HIV infection. 

0 In the context of criminalization of HIV transmission, women may face legal repercussions for HIV infection – especially if, after circumcision, men are perceived to be protected.

While male circumcision seem to be enjoying significant attention, proven prevention methods like the female condom for women continue to be under resourced. Equal and adequate funding for these interventions need to be made available in the context of male circumcision programs such as additional biomedical prevention strategies like microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis and vaccines, as well as structural and behavioral interventions that will reduce women’s risk.

In moving forward:

0 Male circumcision should never replace other known methods of HIV prevention and should always be considered as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package. Resources earmarked for interventions to address women’s vulnerability due to gender inequality and also to violence should not be diverted from prevention and treatment efforts that work (condoms, female condoms, post exposure prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and HAART and OI treatment) and that these continue to be scaled up.

0 Communities and particularly men opting for the procedure and their partners require careful and balanced information and education materials that address the change in power balance (to the extent that male circumcision may reduce women’s ability to negotiate condom use) and that male circumcision is not a 'magic bullet' for HIV prevention but is complementary to other ways of reducing risk of HIV infection.

0 Further research should be conducted to clarify the risks and benefits of male circumcision with regard to HIV transmission from HIV-positive men to women, for men who have sex with men and in the context of heterosexual anal sex.  In addition, in rolling out male circumcision, it is important to monitor rates of domestic violence, coercive sex during the period of wound healing/recommended abstinence post surgery.

0 There is also a need to continue resource allocation in the integration of HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights programming, as well as around women’s empowerment (or gender equality). In addition, there is a need to craft meaningful participation of women and positive women in research; policy development; and, programme planning and implementation efforts. 

0 It is also important to monitor resource allocation and flow for HIV prevention, ensuring that, where there is spending on male circumcision, there are also additional resources for proven prevention interventions for women

Women Won’t Wait seeks to accelerate effective responses to the linkages of violence against all women and girls and the spread of HIV by tracking and, where necessary, calling for changes in the policies, programming and funding streams of national governments and international multilateral and bilateral donor and technical agencies. For more information about the Women Won’t Wait campaign, please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it