In Malawi, rape is used to grow up
Since 2013, Malawi has banned kusasa fumbi although in the south of the country this practice continues to be practiced freely. One of the first rules is that girls are sent to real "sexual initiation" camps where, as LeMonde, author of the report, writes, girls can be forcibly deflowered in order to learn how to meet men's needs. Needless to say, this can have devastating physical and psychological effects.
The "purification" of women
We are in 2017 and the UN is fighting this battle but young virgins are not the only ones to suffer violence. After the violence of the first time, recently widowed women or those who have lost a child are forced to have relationships with a physi (something that in Italy we would translate as "hyena man") so that this can help them.
LeMonde met one of them, Louis Foté, 39, who earns his living by "purifying" women believed to be witches or ghosts.
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As a "hyena", Louis is paid from 20,000 to 25,000 kwachas for each sexual relationship, between 23 and 30 euros. He says he is very proud of his profession and, the father of 5 children, he is perfectly aware that he is in a position of advantage and can thus take advantage of other people. What he is not aware of is that his HIV status cannot be ignored when it comes to "cleansing", especially since the use of condoms is not even remotely contemplated, but he does not care; in Malawi, many people have contracted it ". HIV and, according to him, live a very normal life.
Although the police are fighting a real battle against the phisi, in the name of the law banning the practice of kusasa fumbi, they continue undaunted with their beliefs. This tradition, even if illegal, makes them real inhabitants of Malawi. Plus, they're paid to have sex with girls much younger than they are - is there any reason to stop doing it?
