Australia: Anger after circumcision rite ends with three boys airlifted to hospital

Story here. Excerpt:

There is still anger in a remote Northern Territory community after three teenage boys had to be medically evacuated following an Indigenous initiation ceremony which went horribly wrong.

The boys were part of a group of about 20 who were circumcised two days before Christmas near the small Gulf of Carpentaria town of Borroloola, 700 kilometres east of Darwin.

They were so badly cut during the procedure that they had to be taken to Darwin for urgent treatment.

Local ambulance driver William Miller arrived at the ceremony to find his 17-year-old grandson Bryce severely injured.

"I took one look at him and he was sitting in a pool of blood ... and that really hurt me, that did," he said.
...
The Northern Territory Government says it is aware of the case, and so far its investigators have found the injuries do not constitute child abuse.

The NT Child Abuse Taskforce received two notifications about the incident, leading to an investigation by two police officers and the Department of Children and Families.

But their enquiries found that the children had not been harmed as defined by the Care and Protection of Children Act.
...
The circumcision ceremony dates back thousands of years and is common practice in traditional and remote communities across northern Australia.

Elders say the ceremony is a critical cultural step where boys become men.

The elders who supervised the circumcision said the injuries were likely caused by a visiting family member who is still learning the ritual.
...
Bryce Miller has recovered from his injuries and says he has no regrets participating in this initiation into manhood.

His grandfather William, on the other hand, says no other family members will ever take part again.

Others in the community, including Garrawa man Gadrian Hoosen, say the ceremony will continue.

"[There's] no point talking about our ceremony because that's not going to stop us from carrying that culture," he said.

"We're going to carry it on."'