Why the world must start listening to men harmed by circumcision
At a global health symposium, powerful stories of pain and resilience revealed how far we still have to go — and why silence is no longer an option
It’s Thursday night, 20 June 2025. I’m sat at Brisbane Airport with a view of the tarmac. My return flight to Melbourne has been delayed by two hours, so I have time to reflect on the week that has been as I listen to the melancholic guitar of Leo Brouwer a new friend has just introduced me to.
I have mixed emotions.
Earlier today I chaired a symposium with a packed audience at the 27th Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health. The session included a panel of speakers I had organised on behalf of The Darbon Institute to share their stories of, and expertise on, circumcision harms. I’d heard their stories before, but I’d spent the last few days getting to know them better and I wasn’t prepared for how moved I would be.
To listen to these men, bear witness to their pain, and stand alongside them as they speak their truth has been one of the greatest honours of my life.
I am filled with a sense of relief that our fear no one would show up was not realised, achievement knowing we held a successful event, and gratitude for everyone who helped make it happen.
I am heartened to have met other presenters at the conference who also spoke on this issue, and feel deeply privileged to have shared time with one in particular who taught me more about how to interpret histology slides than I would have thought possible in such a short time together.
There is much to be happy about. But as I sit here waiting for my plane I find myself holding back tears. I am tired of waiting for the world to change; tired of hearing men’s stories of suffering, and of society’s refusal to listen.
How many more children must die from medically unnecessary circumcisions, how many more must die by suicide because their suffering has been dismissed before the rest of us wake up and do something?
These are the questions survivors of non-consensual, medically unnecessary male genital cutting ask me. Often they come to me when the recognition of what was done to them is still raw. They’re angry, and they have every right to be.
So I listen. I acknowledge and validate their experiences. I sit in the silence with them. For many that’s enough. But when someone needs more, I tell them everyone’s journey is different, but that I am with them and ready to work together if they want to be part of a movement for change.
People assume that because I wrote a book opposing non-consensual, medically unnecessary circumcision I must be circumcised myself. But as I say in the book, I’m intact. When people learn this they ask why I care so much about this issue. The answer is simple: I care about justice. I care about people. I care about these men.
We know nothing can change what was done to them. Our mission is to support survivors and prevent others from experiencing the same harms so these men can heal and others don’t have to. I invite you to join us.
Jonathan Meddings is the Chair of The Darbon Institute and author of The Final Cut: The truth about circumcision (Get your copy: Affiliate link)
Watch the symposium now:
