HIV positive man in his 40s is paid to have sex with children

He is known in the local village as 'The Hyena'.

In Malawi, Eric Aniva is hired to have sex with girls as young as 12 and 13 as part of a 'cleansing ritual'. As part of sacred traditions in the Nsanje district, Eric told of how he makes a living having sex with children to 'cleanse' them of 'sins' they commit, such as abortion, menstruation or being widowed by their husband. According to BBC, the sex worker spoke of his role as a 'hyena' - a sexual worker that provides sexual cleansing to women - proudly

"Most of those I have slept with are girls, school-going girls." "Some girls are just 12 or 13 years old, but I prefer them older. All these girls find pleasure in having me as their hyena. "They actually are proud and tell other people that this man is a real man, he knows how to please a woman."

The elders and families of the village do not see Eric's work as rape or an act of brutality, with girls who show signs of refusing only being shunned. One of ten hyenas in the local community, Eric confesses to sleeping with more than 100 women and is HIV positive yet still carries on sleeping with the girls of the village for fees between €3.58 and €5.97 (£3-£5) per girl. Outsiders of the Nsanje district and Government officials are reportedly aware of the treatment of underage girls in the village but still refrain from taking action against the business of 'sexual cleansing'. Dr May Shaba, secretary of the Ministry of Gender and Welfare told of how Government officials would approach deconstructing the highly dangerous ancient ritual.

"We are not going to condemn these people, but we are going to give them information that they need to change their rituals."

According to the UN, one in ten Malawians carry the HIV virus so while the 'cleansing' of these girls is not only psychologically and physically damaging, the continuation of the 'hyena' profession proves to be potentially fatal also.

Lead image via YouTube