Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Sunday November 11, 2001
About 300 young women marched to a royal residence outside of the capital, Mbabane, and laid down their symbolic chastity belts - a multicolored tasseled scarf - in protest of King Mswati III's choice of a 17-year-old as his ninth wife.
The cow was then speared, roasted and eaten in a festive gathering held by the young women.
Concerned by the high rate of HIV infection in his country and describing teen-age girls as "flowers that should be protected," the 33-year-old king in September reinstated the traditional chastity rite of "umchwasho" banning girls under the age of 18 from having sex.
More than 25 percent of adults in Swaziland are infected with HIV, according to the United Nations. The disease has already killed tens of thousands of Swazis.
According to Swazi custom, a man must pay a cow as a fine if he takes an underage girl as his wife after the ban is declared. Mswati's newest wife, Notsetselelo Magongo, is 17.
The sex ban was last imposed in this tiny mountain kingdom in southern Africa two decades ago.
Young women in traditional rural areas where powerful local chiefs enforce the king's will appear to have accepted the order, but it has been more difficult to enforce among the country's urbanized girls.
011111
AP011111
Copyright © 2001 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .