Last week marked the creation of the African Circumcision Advisory Committee, or ACAC, who’s sole purpose is to make aware to the press, public and key government officials the circumcision campaign currently underway in Sub Saharan Africa.
This program, headed by the World Health Organization and supported by UNAIDS, PEPFAIR and several other non governmental organizations, is an effort to circumcise nearly twenty eight million men, boys and infants within the next five years, ostensibly to curb the spread of HIV AIDS. The rationale for this program is based on two studies performed in Eastern Africa called the Orange Farm Studies which purported that circumcised men have a 60% reduction in the likelihood of contracting HIV. These studies, however, have critical flaws and there is a growing chorus of medical research organizations, individual epidemiologists and medical doctors who decry these studies as being misleading.
As reported by A Voice for Men in three crucial articles (article 1, article 2, article 3) over the past year, it is clear that the motivations for this program are more political, monetary and ideological than humanitarian. Over a billion dollars are earmarked for this program and recipients include medical supply corporations and gender ideologues who honestly believe that the spread of AIDS is intimately tied in with the patriarchal oppression of women and aim to further spread their ideology in that part of the world. Many epidemiologists believe that if these people get their way the resultant deaths would number in the millions as a consequence of misinformation on how HIV is spread.
Nearly a million have been circumcised thus far and in Zimbabwe we are already seeing an increase of HIV infections among circumcised men as a result of their compensatory behavior. Clearly something needs to be done, but the news media in North America and the rest of the developed world refuses to do any investigation of the matter.
Furthermore, local government officials in Africa are more than happy to take the money and look the other way while these NGOs and ideologues gain more and more political and social influence.
In order to address the current dearth in reporting on this extremely important issue a committee has been formed. The African Circumcision Advisory Committee has, as its ultimate goal, the exposure and cessation of this abhorrent program. The committee’s members include Robert O’Hara (Chairman) Kristina Hansen, Joe Mendez and anonymous MHRA Iron John. The Committee is interested in recruiting members from the African Press Corps and any medical professionals interested in the topic. AVFM readers are also encouraged to answer the call for volunteers the committee will be posting from time to time on the AVFM forum and in formal posts. Inquires can be sent to avfmnews@avoiceformen.com.
This is the first time since the WHO’s program began that an entity has been formed in order to directly oppose it’s policies. The committee surely has it’s work cut out for it. While involuntary infant circumcision is definitely a serious men’s rights issue demanding its own solutions, this particular effort is, first and foremost, about saving lives- potentially millions of them. We are confident that if pressure is applied in the right places and awareness is extended to key people that we can help bring this monstrosity to a halt.
Robert O’Hara
Director, AVFM News
ACAC Committee Chairman
