MDC senator suggests making women ugly to reduce HIV

Senator Morgan Femai of Movement for Democratic Change representing Chikomo has come up with some controversial suggestions on how to reduce HIV.

He suggested that women should be made less attractive by forcing them to shave their heads and stop taking baths.

"The government should come up with a law that compels women to have their heads clean-shaven like what the Apostolic sects do," said Femai, speaking to a parliamentary HIV awareness workshop in Kadoma on Friday, according to Nehanda Radio.

"They should also not bathe because that is what has caused all these problems," said Femai. If women dressed in shabby clothes and were uglier, men would not be drawn to have sex with them, she said.

Femai also proposed Zimbabwean women be circumsized.

Zimbabwe's HIV prevalence is about 14 per cent of adults, down from more than 30 per cent over 10 years ago.

The parliamentary workshop was sponsored by the Zimbabwe Parliamentarians Against HIV (Zipah) with assistance from the National Aids Council, the UN, and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

"The workshop is aimed at sensitizing ourselves in the implementation of our objectives on curbing the spread of HIV and Aids and to ensure that members appreciate the response (to the pandemic) by Zimbabwe," said Blessing Chebundo, the chairman of Zipah and an MDC MP from Kwekwe.

Femai is the third MDC-T legislator to offer unusual suggestions on reducing HIV infections.

Sithembile Mlotshwa recently said people should have sex once a month and men should be injected with drugs that reduce libido. She also called for prisoners to be given sex toys to satisfy their sexual needs.

Thabitha Khumalo suggested prostitution be legalised to control HIV spread. She vowed to assist commercial sex workers form a trade union to fight for their rights.

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