A 40-day-old baby boy has tragically died in Roquetas de Mar, a town in Almería, southern Spain, following a circumcision carried out at home by a man reportedly lacking any formal medical training.
The child’s parents, originally from Mali, are said to have paid the man €100 to perform the procedure in their home on Sunday. Reports indicate the circumcision was also conducted ‘without the necessary hygiene measures’.
According to El País, the baby suffered from significant blood loss after the operation. Despite the parents’ efforts to get him to the Roquetas de Mar Norte health centre, medical personnel were unable to save the child’s life.
All three adults involved – the parents and the man who conducted the circumcision – have been arrested and are under investigation for suspected reckless homicide.
In court on Tuesday, the father provided a statement, while the mother was described as being ‘not in adequate physical condition’ to testify. The couple has been released on bail, barred from leaving the country, and ordered to report to court on the 1st and 15th of every month.
The man who carried out the circumcision remains in custody.
This deeply distressing case has stirred national concern, though it is not without precedent in Spain. In 2011, a one-month-old baby died in Valencia after friends of the family performed a circumcision at home, which resulted in fatal bleeding.
Circumcision is performed in many parts of the world for religious, cultural or health-related reasons. In countries like Spain, male circumcision is legally permitted when carried out by a licensed medical professional in a clinical setting.
Main image is a screenshot from the TeleCinco video report – see social media link below – of alleged suspect being detained by the police.
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