Inter Press ServiceTradition and Poverty Among Drivers of HIV in Malawi https://www.ipsnews.net/2014/03/tradition-poverty-among-drivers-hiv-malawi/ News and Views from the Global South Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:57:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 Tradition and Poverty Among Drivers of HIV in Malawi https://www.ipsnews.net/2014/03/tradition-poverty-among-drivers-hiv-malawi/ https://www.ipsnews.net/2014/03/tradition-poverty-among-drivers-hiv-malawi/#comments Tue, 11 Mar 2014 13:07:53 +0000 Pilirani Tambala http://www.ipsnews.net/?p=132676

Pregnant women at an antenatal clinic in Malawi. Credit: Pilirani Tambala

By Pilirani Tambala
Blantyre, Mar 11 2014 (IPS)

Malawi, which has a population of 14 million, has an HIV prevalence of 10 percent. Almost a third of the infected are aged below 30. This is in part the result of early sexual debut for young girls, a practice encouraged in parts of the country where girls participate in traditional initiation ceremonies. Pilirani Tambala looks at why young Malawian girls are engaging in sex too early and what is being done to discourage the practice.

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