The plight of an African girl child: Traditional cultural practices in Malawi
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Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNAM Press
Abstract
The Malawian girl child is faced with many challenges such as early marriages to older men, dropping out of school due to pregnancy and instances where the tradition requires girls to have sex with a paid sex worker (Hyena) when they reach puberty. In some tribes in Malawi, this tradition is still revered by many elders who consider it to be sexually cleansing. Sexual cleansing also applies to women whose husbands die. Such a women is required to have sex with a paid sex worker known as 'hyena' before she buries her husband (Kamlongera, 2007). This act in itself is harmful to the victims who are vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS. Such people may be left with emotional and psychological scars which may never heal. The main question this concept paper ask is: Where does one draw the line between tradition and the African girl child's rights?
Description
Keywords
Tradition, Culture, African girl
Citation
Abankwah, R.M. (2017). The plight of an African girl child: Traditional cultural practices in Malawi. In C. Munibi-Mchombu & T. V. Warikandwa (Eds.), Women's rights and the role of women in poverty eradication: a contemporary Namibian perspective (pp. 180-185). Windhoek: UNAM Press.