[ 2016-07-26 ]

Eric Aniva told the BBC that he planned to stop taking part in sexual cleansing practices.

Malawian 'hyena man' arrested for having sex with children
An HIV-positive Malawian man, who says he is paid
to have sex with children as part of initiation
rites, has been arrested on the president's
orders.

Eric Aniva, a sex worker known in Malawi as a
"hyena", was the subject of a BBC feature last
week.

He told the BBC that did not mention his HIV
status to those who hire him.

President Peter Mutharika said the police should
investigate and charge him over the cases of
defilement he had seemingly confessed to.

The BBC's Ed Butler, who covered the story about
Malawi's sexual "cleansing practices", says in
some remote southern regions of the country it is
traditional for girls to be made to have sex with
a man after their first menstruation.

Some of the girls are as young as 12 years old,
he reported.

What is known as a "hyena" in Malawi culture is
usually a man who has sex with widows or married
women who cannot fall pregnant.

'Horrific practices'

"While we must promote positive cultural values
and positive socialisation of our children, the
president says harmful cultural and traditional
practices cannot be accepted in this country,"
presidential spokesman Mgeme Kalilani said in a
statement

Mr Avena would "further be investigated for
exposing the young girls to contracting HIV and
further be charged accordingly", he said.

The president had also ordered all men and
parents involved should be investigated, Mr
Kalilani said.

"All people involved in this malpractice should
be held accountable for subjecting their children
and women to this despicable evil," the statement
said.
"These horrific practices although done by a few
also tarnish the image of the whole nation of
Malawi internationally and bring shame to us
all."

Last year Malawi banned child marriage, raising
the legal age of marriage from 15 to 18 -
something activists hoped would put an end to
early sexual initiations.

Mr Aniva told the BBC that he planned to stop
taking part in sexual cleansing practices.

Source - BBC

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