A two-year-old boy bled to his death following a home circumcision at a migrant center in Italy this weekend. The boy is said to have died because of severe blood loss when the procedure went wrong.
Botched Circumcision
The boy's twin brother, who also underwent the same procedure, was also hospitalized. He was admitted to the Sant'Andrea hospital and was later moved to the pediatric intensive care unit of the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. Staff at Gemelli said he is now in stable condition.
The twin brothers, who were not named, were born in Italy in January 2017 to a woman of Nigerian origin, who has five other children in Nigeria.
The mother, who is believed to have sought asylum in the country, is a Catholic but asked for the operations in respect for the Islamic traditions of Nigeria.
Doctor Who Carried Out Operation Arrested
The police arrested the doctor who carried out the operation. The man, a Libyan-born U.S. citizen, called for emergency assistance when the child started to bleed profusely. Italian media described the 66-year-old as a self-proclaimed doctor.
The operation took place in a migrant refuge provided by the nonprofit organization Arci.
"The two children are hosted in a welcome centre that Arci has run with Monterotondo Council since 2009," Arci's Rome branch said in a statement. "It is a tragedy that leaves us speechless! We are anxiously awaiting a medical update on the second child."
Circumcision In Italy
Circumcision is not available in public health institutions in Italy and having the procedure at a private clinic can be costly.
"As a result, those from poorer backgrounds can "end up in the hands of unscrupulous and unskilled people, who for €50 or €20 practise circumcision," said Foad Aodi, who founded the association of foreign doctors in Italy (AMSI) and Co-mai, an organization that supports the Arab community.
Aodi said that up to 35 percent of circumcisions in Italy were performed at home in a clandestine manner.
