COMMUNITY FORUMS

Over the past 25 years this charity has provided support to people via telephone, email, online, in writing and in person. In addition, we have tried to educate the public and lobby organisations responsible for legislation.

This has been essential for spreading information and helping to reach people affected by circumcision. Our community has long recognised the shortcomings in services available for counselling and help with the psychological damage caused by circumcision. Because of this, community groups have sprung up online where they discuss this subject openly but anonymously.

Whilst there is a board on the Mens Health website with a variety of opinions Reddit.com is host to an open community of men who stand against circumcision. They are helpful in supporting each other and sharing their stories with other people who are battling the psychological affects. The reddit page: CircumcisionGrief allows men affected to keep their identity private but to freely discuss their concerns and opinions as well as help others with their issues. Additionally, there is a page for discussing restoration on Reddit.

This has been a great tool for creating an organic support
network for men who are not receiving the level of help they need through the
correct channels. Although there is no formal psychological support on the
site, men on there can find a certain level of comfort in knowing that they are
not suffering alone. What is so essential to many men who have messaged us is that
they are acknowledged. Rather than being told by healthcare professionals that “there
must be some other problem” the forum is used by people who recognize that this
IS a legitimate issue and there ARE legitimate reasons to oppose circumcision.

For those who are wondering what we as a charity are doing to support men affected by psychological or physical damage, we are hosting an event in Staffordshire on the Saturday the 13^th of July. Here we will be sharing the story of Ashley Humphreys who has been featured on the BBC. He will be talking about the physical and psychological damage that he has been caused, and how sharing his story has helped him deal with the trauma. There will be opportunity to share your story or thoughts, and discuss how to tackle the deficiencies in the support networks available for people who have problems relating to circumcision.