Mixed reactions over jail term for Malawi "sexual cleanser"

The sentencing of a Malawian man on Tuesday to two years in jail for performing "sexual cleansing" to widows and underage girls has received mixed reactions from Malawians.

Eric Aniva, 45, was arrested on July 25 following President Peter Mutharika's directive after the man revealed that he had had sex with over 100 young girls and bereaved widows at a fee in the name of cultural cleansing.

Aniva, known as a 'hyena,' also admitted to BBC prior to his arrest that he is HIV positive. In some parts of Malawi, men known as hyenas offer paid sex service for newly bereaved widows and young girls to fend off bad luck.

A local magistrate court in the southern district of Nsanje, where Aniva hails from, found the man guilty of engaging in and attempting to engage in "harmful practices."

His sentencing has however triggered mixed reactions from Malawians through the social and local media monitored by Xinhua, with some saying he deserved a stiffer penalty.

"It's really a mockery to justice; the maximum sentence for defilement is 14 years imprisonment and what Aniva did to the young girls within the 100 victims is tantamount to defilement and he ought to have been punished severely," wrote a Malawian journalist, Pat Botha, on the social media.

Another woman told a local radio that the fact that Aniva had confessed to have been HIV positive and that he had slept with over 100 young girls and women without any protection justified the need for a stiffer penalty.

"Think of how many young girls and women he has put to the risk of contracting the virus? And how many people have Aniva's clients exposed to the risk of contracting the virus? It is a total chaos: he has put the whole village under a curse," she said.

However, Aniva is not without sympathizers who think the man is just a victim of circumstances and that he did not deserve to be punished for indulging in what is culturally acceptable in his community.

"It is a deep-rooted cultural practice that cannot be taken away from the people by sending men to jail," said Sifa Velosi on a WhatsApp group debate.

"Men like Aniva, 'hyenas' as we call them, are in every village among the Sena people and they are hired to perform sexual cleansing to widows and newly initiated girls -- it is custom and it has never been an issue until now," he said.

Another respondent on the WhatsApp group, a teacher based in the capital, Lilongwe, pointed out that Aniva's conviction would only succeed in making the practice more secretive and lucrative as 'hyenas' would charge an extra penny for the risk.

In July, President Mutharika emphasized in a statement that while the country must promote positive cultural values and socialization of children, harmful cultural and traditional practices shall never be accepted. Enditem