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Lilongwe — A Malawian man has been slapped with a two-and-a-half year jail sentence after it was found that he had slept with his own daughter in a bid to “cure” her of her epilepsy.
According to a Malawi24 report, 47-year-old White Taimu is alleged to have had sexual intercourse with his 20-year-old daughter due to a belief that it would rid her of her ailment.
The incident, which took place in Malawi’s Mangochi District, saw the young woman fell pregnant as a result of her father’s incestuous actions.
While passing judgment on the man, Magistrate Ronald Mbwana stated that such acts could not be condoned in the southern African nation.
Police have since urged members of the public to come forward with any information pertaining to sex crimes in their areas so as to curb the scourge of sexual misconduct currently plaguing the state.
The development follows just two weeks after the arrest of a 38-year-old man in Salima District for the alleged rape of his 8-year-old daughter, a Nyasa Times report said. The suspect, Maston Khongoza, is reported to have raped his daughter on two occasions while her mother was receiving treatment for malaria.
Khongoza is expected to appear in court soon to answer on charges of incest.
President Peter Mutharika recently announced the introduction of tougher legislation against sex offenders, in a crackdown on sex crimes in the country.
Speaking during an interview with the BBC, Mutharika claimed that his government would be taking strong action against so-called “hyenas” – sexual predators who are paid to have sex with young girls as part of a “cleansing” practice.
“I have instructed the Minister of Justice to start preparing a draft paper which will form a base of legistaion which will be presented before the cabinet, and then we will have new legislation governing some of these [cultural] practices,” said Mutharika. — AFP
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