Madonna Stunned By Sexual Cleansing Ritual

Pop superstar Madonna was left shocked and appalled by a bizarre sex ritual which young widows in Malawi have to go through after their husbands die - because it fuels the spread of Aids in the country. In her new documentary I Am Because We Are, Madonna chronicles the plight of the people in the African nation, where she adopted her son David in 2006, and she admits some local customs left her feeling sick.

In one segment of the harrowing new film, the star reveals a young widow is forced to have sex three times with a stranger from outside her village as part of a cleansing ritual. She says, "When this woman's husband dies of Aids, she is required by the village head tribal chief to go through this sexual cleansing. Until she does, basically the village is, like, at a standstill. And, if she refuses to do it, she will be ostracised by everyone."