Malawi's 'Hyena' Men: Paid by Parents to Have Sex with Their Daughters
Why would people pay a man to have sex with young girls and women?
According to BBC, the practice is viewed as a way to ritually cleanse girls after their first period, usually within a three-day window. Some families tell girls they will get infections if they don't have sex with a "hyena," .
But it also happens in other life stages, too — after an abortion or when a woman becomes a widow, reports the BBC.
According to a study on sexual cleansing rituals in Western Kenya from 2007, sexual intercourse is seen as a sacred rite when performed as a ritual — and has the power to cleanse evil spirits and sanctify.
Would a "hyena" use condoms?
Unprotected sex is considered part of the ritual.