Image copyright AFP Image caption Aniva was the subject of a BBC feature into sexual "cleansing" practices in Malawi in July 
 
 An HIV-positive Malawian man has been sentenced to 24 months in jail with hard labour for having unprotected sex with newly bereaved widows. 
 
 The practice of "widow cleansing", when a widow must have sex after her husband dies, was outlawed a few years ago. 
 
 Eric Aniva, known in Malawi as a "hyena", admitted to the BBC to having sex with more than 100 women and girls and not disclosing his HIV status. 
 
 This led to President Peter Mutharika ordering his arrest in July. 
 
 Mr Mutharika had wanted Aniva tried for defiling young girls, but none came forward to testify against him. 
 
 Instead, he was tried for "harmful cultural practice" under section five of Malawi's Gender Equality Act, for having sex with new widows. 
 
 Two women testified against him. 
 
 Aniva's lawyer, Michael Goba Chipeta, said he would appeal against the conviction and the sentence. 
 
 The case has attracted international media attention and sharply divided opinion as to how widespread the practice remains. 
 
 Aniva was the subject of a BBC feature into various sexual cleansing practices in Malawi. 
 
 Last year, Malawi banned child marriage, raising the legal age of marriage from 15 to 18 - something activists hoped would put an end to early sexual initiations. 

 'Hyena Man' Had Sex With 100 Girls And Women, Gets 2-Year Sentence 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Eldson Chagara/AP Eldson Chagara/AP 
 
 A man who was paid to have sex with more than 100 young girls and women in Malawi is receiving two years of hard labor as punishment. 
 
 Working as what Malawians call a "hyena man," Eric Aniva had sex with children and widows as part of a custom believed to offer ritual cleansing after a first period or widowhood. Though he is HIV-positive, Aniva did not wear condoms during sex. Now some women's organizations in Malawi are calling his sentence inadequate. 
 
 "It feels like a missed opportunity to send out a strong message," says Anber Raz, the deputy director of Donor Direct Action, an international women's rights organization. "Having said that, it's even great he got convicted. Often in cases such as this, you see complete impunity." 
 
 Raz says the light sentence is due to a lack of witnesses willing to testify against Aniva. Malawi's president, Peter Mutharika, publicly supported prosecuting Aniva for defilement of young girls. But no girls came forward to testify, Raz says. So instead, Aniva was tried for "harmful cultural practice" for having sex with the widows, a lesser charge under Malawi's Gender Equality Act of 2013. 
 
 The girls abused by Aniva are difficult to identify, Raz explains, because they're reluctant to talk about their experiences. 
 
 Women's groups in Malawi are pressing for the sentence to be reviewed. Raz says they might succeed because of the international attention this case has received. But whether or not the sentence stands, she believes that people should not excuse abuse in the name of tradition. 
 
 "Calling [these activities] 'cultural practices' kind of masks what this is," Raz says. "Underneath it all, it's pure and simple violence against women and girls."
– An HIV-positive man in Malawi who was hired for "cleansing sex" with more than 100 young women and underage girls has been sentenced to two years hard labor. Eric Aniva, who is what is called a "hyena man" in traditional southern Malawian culture, was arrested earlier this year after he admitted to the BBC that he had unprotected sex with the girls and women. Voice of America reports that the 45-year-old was hired to have sex with young girls who had reached puberty in a ritual to prepare them for married life, and for "widow cleansing," in which he would have sex with recently widowed women, supposedly to exorcise evil spirits. Aniva was sentenced after being found guilty of having sex with the new widows, which is illegal under a section of Malawi's Gender Equality Act that bans "harmful cultural practices." Two women testified against him. He was not, however, found guilty of having sex with underage girls, because none of them came forward to testify against him. Anber Raz of the women's rights organization tells NPR that the girls he abused were reluctant to talk about their experiences. She feels the sentence is too light. "It feels like a missed opportunity to send out a strong message," she says. "Having said that, it's even great he got convicted. Often in cases such as this, you see complete impunity."