This is clearly a euphemism, and unclear about everything else. Sometimes it seems to be used to refer to female genital mutilation, but what else does it cover? Here's a statement by Rashida Manjoo, the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.
Also to clarify: "social and customary practices". Add: just found cultural practice. Needs a lot of work.
Malawi edit
This was kicked off by a BBC article in July 2016 about a "hyena"; a few days later, the President ordered his arrest. At this time, our article sexual cleansing was created. A Malawian social entrepreneur then came forward to tell her tale: "Natasha Annie Tonthola: My fight against Malawi's 'hyenas'". But there was a good article in The Atlantic in 2014: Confronting a Sexual Rite of Passage in Malawi.
Various edit
- kupimbira: again in Malawi, "a cultural practice in which parents arrange marriages between young girls and older men to get money from a dowry" Women Fight Traditional Cultural Practices
- NB that article gives a list:
- nhlazi, "giving into marriage a young relative of the wife, as a reward to her husband for being good to her family"
- kulowa kufa, "sexual intercouse between a newly widowed woman and a designated man to ‘cleanse the village of death"
- fisi (our article is about a footballer), "hiring a man to engage in sex for the purpose of having children, especially when the husband is impotent"
- NB that article gives a list:
Transactional sex edit
Transactional sex: All Africa story "Malawi: Harmful Cultural Practices Resurface and Threaten Malawi's HIV Response" 16 January 2016. "Traditional practices in Malawi that had disappeared such as 'fish for sex' are gradually resurfacing, much to the alarm of those working on the national HIV response. 'Fish for sex' is transactional sex in which girls and women offer sex services to fishermen in exchange for fish. Another such traditional practice 'kupimbira' allows a poor family to receive a loan or livestock in exchange for daughters of any age (the 2012 Malawi Human Rights Commission report). These harmful cultural practices are regaining ground despite the childcare, protection and justice act passed by parliament in 2010. This prohibits a child from any social or customary practice that is harmful to the health or general development of a child."
Fisi edit
The word "Fisi" appears to refer to at least two things:
- female initiation ceremonies, i.e. forced deflowering "What becomes of her? A look at Malawian fisi culture and its effects on young girls - hence the reference to the hyena, never a much-liked animal. An NGO ran a campaign called "The hyena must die" in Malawi sex cleansing practices: NGO to conduct ‘Hyena must die’ campaign an article which uses the phrase "sex cleansing". The President spoke out against it, quoted here.
- as a substitute for a husband presumed infertile. "“Fisi” Retires After Four Decades Of ‘Service’: Thank God I’m Alive" from Malawi Voice
Widows edit
Widow cleansing: Violence is not our culture article (i.e. related to widow inheritance). Local Malawians took issue with the BBC "hyena" report, in an article which uses the phrase "death cleansing". Apparently the widow has to have sex with him before her husband can be buried?
Afghanistan edit
- Another list, this time from Afghanistan [1]
- child marriage
- giving away girls for dispute resolution
- forced isolation in the home
- exchange marriage
- honour killings