@article{ref1,
title="Submit to survive: an exploration of sexual cleansing as an act of violence against widows in the Luo community of Kenya",
journal="Culture health and sexuality",
year="2022",
author="Munala, Leso and Harris, Margaret and Mwangi, Esther and Okunna, Nene and Hohenshell, Emily and Ong'ombe, Maureen and Musa, Maria",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="In this paper, the sexual 'cleansing' of widows and subsequent inheritance is assessed for its socio-cultural significance. Although the practice has been well studied in the context of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, it has not been widely examined as an act of sexual violence against women. To address this gap, in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 widows aged 29 to 90 years in Siaya County in Southwest Kenya. A majority of participants stated the cleansing ritual was forcefully initiated, violently fulfilled, and frequently seen as rape. <br><br>FINDINGS from this study necessitate the identification of the cultural practice of widow cleansing as an act of violence against women. Doing so will facilitate the creation of a legal framework with which to act to eliminate the practice.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1369-1058",
doi="10.1080/13691058.2022.2091797",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2022.2091797"
}