An HIV-positive school teacher wins a lawsuit against a school that abruptly ended his contract. (Photo : Getty Images)
In a shocking revelation that brings to fore the sexual exploitation of young girls, an HIV-infected man has been arrested in Malawi, Africa for having sex with them as part of traditional rituals.
BBC reports that Eric Aniva, who is in his 40s, was arrested on the orders of president Peter Mutharika, after he revealed to the news organization that he did not mention his HIV status to the people who hired him for the practice. The president has also asked the police to investigate the case further and charge him with cases of defilement.
Notably, Ed Butler of BBC had covered the story of Eric Aniva, a sex worker, who also doubled up as a 'hyena' and practiced a weird sexual 'cleansing ritual' in Malawi. The old custom is practiced in some remote southern regions of the country and it calls upon girls to have sex with a man after their first menstruation. As for "hyena," he is a person who has sex with widows and married women, who cannot fall pregnant.
When the horrible incident was revealed by the reporter, the Malawian government took note of the situation and initiated legal action against him. The Daily Mirror reports that the president has also spoken up against the backward practice and in a statement to the media, his spokesman said that while positive cultural values and positive socialization should be promoted, harmful cultural and traditional practices cannot be accepted in the country.
It also condemned the people involved in the malpractice and gave orders to hold them accountable for subjecting their innocent women and children to a despicable evil. It said that despite being practiced by a few, such horrific practices bring shame to the entire country and tarnish the image of Malawi in international circles.
It is worth mentioning here that last year the African nation had banned child marriage and raised the legal age of marriage from 15 to 18 years. The move was welcomed by activists as they hoped it would put an end to the practice of early sexual initiations.
The following video talks about the HIV-positive Malawian man, Eric:
