International Symposia

International Symposia 2021-06-11T19:24:06+00:00

Symposia History

For the first time in history, the issue of genital alteration of infants and children was brought to the forefront of discussion on March 1-3, 1989, in Anaheim, California, and, during our three-day event, genital cutting was addressed by experts from many disciplines, including history, religion, geography, medicine, sociology, anthropology, psychology, law, and ethics.

Since then, there have been twelve more symposia and, with our evolution, the name of our symposia changed, ultimately coming to the crux of the issue in 2014 with our current title, the International Symposia on Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights.

The title of our symposia evolved and changed with our increasing understanding of the issue. First, the title changed to the International Symposia on Circumcision, Sexual Mutilations, and Genital Integrity but, recognizing survivor sensitivity, it was changed again in 2010 to the International Symposia on Circumcision, Genital Integrity, and Human Rights.

In preparation for our 2012 symposium, the name was changed to the International Symposia on Law, Genital Autonomy, and Children’s Rights.

And for our 2014 symposium, the name was changed to the International Symposia on Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights, which reflects the intent of the symposia: protecting the rights of infants and children until they are old enough to protect their own rights and make personal choices about their own bodies.

The Declaration of the First International Symposium on Circumcision is as relevant today as it was on March 3, 1989, when it was adopted by the General Assembly in Anaheim, California.

Symposia Proceedings Published

The proceedings of the 1st International Symposium were published in The Truth Seeker(July/August 1989).

The proceedings of the 4th – 11th International Symposia have been published as follows:

Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy, edited by George C. Denniston and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Plenum Press, 1997.

Male and Female Circumcision: Medical Legal and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, 1999.

Understanding Circumcision: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Problem, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, 2001.

Flesh and Blood: Perspectives on the Problem of Circumcision in Contemporary Society, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick Mansfield, and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, 2004.

Bodily Integrity and the Politics of Circumcision: Culture, Controversy, and Change, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick M. Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Springer, 2006.

Circumcision and Human Rights, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick M. Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Springer, 2009.

Genital Autonomy: Protecting Personal Choice, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick M. Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Springer, 2010

Genital Cutting: Protecting Children from Medical, Cultural, and Religious Infringements, edited by George C. Denniston, Frederick M. Hodges, and Marilyn Fayre Milos, Springer, 2013.

The proceedings of the 12th International Symposium, held in Helsinki, Finland (2012), were not published.

The proceedings of the 13th International Symposia on Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights, held at the University of Colorado, Boulder (2014), are included below.

The proceedings of the 14th International Symposia on Genital Autonomy and Children’s Rights, held at the University of Keele in Staffordshire, UK (2014), were not published.