Let our girls be girls: ending “sexual cleansing” in southern Malawi
In parts of southern Malawi, so-called “hyena” men are paid to have sex with girls as young as 12. Why MASYAP is calling for education and outreach to end the practice.
In some rural districts of southern Malawi, including areas where MASYAP works, men known as “hyenas” are paid to have sex with girls as young as 12. This ritual of “sexual cleansing” takes place when a girl first menstruates and is seen as part of her passage into womanhood. It is also common after an abortion or the death of a husband.
Girls have no say
Families arrange and pay for the hyena. The girls themselves have little or no say, and many go on to have little control over their sexual lives. MASYAP members often tell us that the man decides when they have sex and whether any protection is used.
A public case
Recently a hyena from Nsanje district, Eric Aniva, spoke openly to the press about his role. He revealed that he is HIV positive and had had sex with hundreds of girls without protection and without disclosing his status, putting them at risk of infection without their knowledge, of late diagnosis and of passing the virus on.
Aniva has since been arrested, a sign that the wider community condemns the practice. There have been other positive steps to protect girls in Malawi, including the February 2015 law banning child marriage and setting the legal age of marriage at 18.
Why we are concerned
If one hyena felt able to speak openly, the practice is likely to be far more widespread in southern Malawi than we thought. In rural areas sexual cleansing is not only accepted but often expected before a girl is considered ready for marriage. There is no data on how many hyenas are operating, but many more are certainly doing so unnoticed.
What needs to happen
Aniva’s arrest shows that Malawi is taking a tough stance, but a practice this deeply rooted needs more than legal barriers. Education and outreach in these communities will be key.
From 2017, MASYAP is committed to working more in rural areas and building strong relationships with community elders in high-risk areas, to support communities to reject the practice. This must be done together with government, schools, NGOs and local communities, and it must become a priority.
