Eric Avina pictured above is a middle aged
HIV positive Malawian man whose
responsibility it is to conduct " sexual
cleansing " for underaged and also matured
women in Nsanje district in southern Malawi.
Avina in his community is referred to as
Hyena , a traditional title given to a man hired
by communities in several remote parts of
southern Malawi to provide what ' s called
sexual " cleansing" .
If a man dies , for example, his wife is
required by tradition to sleep with Avina
before she can bury him. If a woman has an
abortion , she is expected to sleep with Avina
to undergo cleansing. Also teenage girls , after
their first menstruation , are made to have sex
over a three - day period with Avina to mark
their passage from childhood to womanhood .
If the girls refuse, it ' s believed, disease or
some fatal misfortune could befall their
families or the village as a whole . He says
he 's one of 10 hyenas in their community , and
that every village in Nsanje district has them.
They are paid from $4 to $7 ( £ 3 to £ 5) each
time.
" 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. " he told BBC
Avina when asked said he is aware that he is
HIV positive but he doesn' t tell the women he
sleeps with. Although he has lost count of the
women he has slept with, he puts the figure
at about 104 . He is married to two women
who know about his job and approve.
Source - BBC News
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