An order has been sent to arrest one Mr Eric Aniva for having sexual relations with adolescents. The order was issued by Malawian President Peter Mutharika on Tuesday after Eric, who's from the southern district of Nsanje gave a media interview confessing to have slept with the girls for a fee of between four and seven dollars paid by each of their families.
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| Eric Aniva |
These act he explained was part of a traditional ritual marking their passage to womanhood. In Mutharika statement he said
“I order police to immediately arrest Mr Eric Aniva, investigate him and take him to court forthwith for defilement cases."
This illicit act is performed in southern Malawi by men known as “hyenas” at the behest of a girl’s parents after her first menstruation. The ritual is believed to train girls to become good wives and to protect them from disease, or misfortune could fall on their families or their village. However, the act is blamed for spreading AIDS.
In a BBC interview broadcast last week, Aniva confessed to being infected with HIV and sleeping with virgin girls without using protection. He said that the girls were as young as 12.
“All these girls find pleasure in having me as their They actually are proud.” Mutharika said Aniva should “be investigated for exposing the young girls to contracting HIV and further be charged accordingly.” He also ordered an inquiry into the role of parents, saying “harmful cultural and traditional practices cannot be accepted.”
The sexual cleansing ritual by a “hyena” is also performed on bereaved widows in Nsanje district to exorcise villages of evil spirits or to prevent another death occurring. Aniva said a “hyena” was selected by the community based on good morals and that custom did not allow him to use condoms. Malawi, which has one of the highest HIV infections in the world, criminalises sex with a person under the age of 16. If found guilty of underage sex, Aniva could be imprisoned for life.
Source: BBC News
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