High death toll from botched male circumcisions

21 young men have died in South Africa during circumcision ceremonies this year. Male initiation in South Africa involving circumcision is especially common in the Eastern Cape region of the country. Traditional leaders have now called for the police to clamp down on unregistered, illegal initiation schools. Doctor Dingeman Rijken spent five years working in South Africa and saw the after effects of botched circumcisions.

(Image: Initiates gather during their graduation ceremony in South Africa. Credit: Getty Images)