22.07.2026 20:00
An advertisement for vaginal aesthetic procedures by Dr. Ali Çakır, an operator doctor working at a private women's health and obstetrics clinic in Ağrı, posted on Instagram under the title "female circumcision," has sparked backlash. The local medical chamber has launched an administrative and disciplinary investigation into the doctor.
A special clinic in Ağrı drew backlash for posting an Instagram advertisement with the title 'female circumcision' for vaginal aesthetic procedures. The medical chamber launched an administrative and disciplinary investigation into the doctor, while Doctor Ali Çakır defended that the procedure was hudoplasty and that he did not perform female genital mutilation.
Prof. Dr. Barlas Sulu, President of the Ağrı, Kars, Ardahan, Iğdır (AKAI) Medical Chamber, stated that an expert physician will be appointed as a legal expert within the scope of the investigation, the doctor in question will be heard, and a penalty may be considered if deemed necessary.
"I DID NOT PERFORM FEMALE CIRCUMCISION"
The practice known as "female circumcision" among the public and referred to as FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) in international literature is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) as "one of the gravest human rights violations" and "an extreme form of violence" against women and girls.
Ali Çakır said, "I have never performed female genital mutilation or genital mutilation, which is translated into Turkish as 'kadın sünneti'." He stated that he is opposed to the procedure.
Ali Çakır said he "views with surprise and sadness" that the hudoplasty procedure is directly considered female genital mutilation and that a doctor is believed to have performed it.
Regarding the investigation launched against him, Çakır said, "It is normal for an investigation to be opened against a doctor suspected of performing female genital mutilation."
After the backlash, Çakır changed the title of the Instagram advertisement to "foreskin removal procedure."
"IT IS NOT ETHICAL TO ADVERTISE DIFFERENTLY FROM THE PROCEDURE"
Doctors, as understood from their statements, say that Ali Çakır's procedures are not female genital mutilation but fall under vaginal aesthetics, yet they still find the situation "problematic."
Prof. Dr. Barlas Sulu, President of the AKAI Medical Chamber, says of Çakır, "It is not ethical to advertise differently from the procedure." Çakır says, "Hudoplasty is known as female circumcision among the public. I don't know if there is a term that expresses hudoplasty in a way patients can understand."
On doctors' websites, the hudoplasty procedure is often explained with the term "clitoral aesthetics." Ayşegül Tekingil, a member of the executive board of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Women's Medicine and Women's Health Division, said in a statement to BBC Turkish, "The procedure he is referring to is likely called 'hudoplasty' in medical literature. This is essentially a vaginal aesthetic procedure."
"It involves intervention on the same area. Women undergo this procedure with consent, so it is difficult to classify it as a form of violence, but two problems arise here," Tekingil continued.
"First, the fact that he changed an advertisement he posted under the title 'female circumcision' raises questions about the reliability of advertisements related to medical procedures.
"Second, all vaginal aesthetic operations are painful, surgical procedures with risks of complications related to the beauty standards imposed on women. The fact that women undergo these procedures under the pressure of beauty ideals is another issue that needs to be discussed."
"I STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND IT"
Surgeon Doctor Ali Çakır, in a statement to BBC Turkish, said the hudoplasty procedure is known as 'female circumcision' among the public, but added, "Since this term has become synonymous with female genital mutilation, it would be more accurate to express it as 'foreskin removal,' which is a narrower scope of the term."
In his statement, Çakır said, "I strongly do not recommend performing female genital mutilation as it leads to disabilities. However, hudoplasty, performed for health problems, with adult consent, under sterile conditions, by a trained surgeon, alleviates patient complaints and is safely performed and recommended in many health centers."
Çakır continued his statement:
"I view with surprise and sadness that removing the foreskin, which is the female equivalent of the skin cut in male circumcision among the public, is known as 'female circumcision,' that the hudoplasty procedure detailed in explanations is directly considered female genital mutilation, and that a doctor is believed to have performed it."
STATEMENT FROM THE HOSPITAL: WE WILL REVIEW OUR AGREEMENT
Surgeon Doctor Ali Çakır's name also came up in connection with Özel Mediza Hospital and Özel Lena Hospital in Ağrı.
Özel Lena Hospital announced that Çakır "left his position at the hospital some time ago" and "continues to provide professional health services at his own clinic."
Metin Kaya, Chief Physician of Özel Mediza Hospital, also told BBC Turkish that they recently signed an agreement with Çakır for using the hospital's operating room, but the board of directors would review this decision after the news.
Kaya said, "We would never support such a thing either. We don't know what the outcome of the [AKAI Medical Chamber's] investigation will be, but we will also conduct our own investigation."
"I AM TRYING TO NORMALIZE AESTHETIC PROCEDURES"
In a statement to BBC Turkish, Ali Çakır responded to accusations from women's rights organizations that he was "normalizing female circumcision" as follows:
"I am trying to normalize not female circumcision but genital aesthetic procedures performed for health reasons; patients are very tense about this. Understanding that the procedure is similar to male circumcision and how it is done helps patients relax."
WHAT IS FEMALE CIRCUMCISION?
Female genital mutilation, known as "female circumcision" among the public, refers to the partial or total removal of female external genitalia or other harm to female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
The WHO states that the practice has "no health benefits" and warns that it "can lead to severe bleeding, urinary problems, cysts, menstrual difficulties, infections, as well as complications during childbirth and an increased risk of newborn deaths."
The WHO says, "This practice reflects deep-seated inequality between the sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against girls and women."
In the Turkish Penal Code, under the section on "crimes against bodily integrity," it states: "A person who intentionally inflicts pain on another's body or causes impairment of their health or perception ability is punishable by imprisonment from one year and six months to three years."