Zambia bans s*x dolls

No one sells them openly, no one admits to owning one, and no one has been arrested -- but Zambia is waging a fierce campaign against sex dolls. Good move in the right direction.

The government launched the crackdown on the sex toys last month, threatening offenders with heavy jail terms over the dolls which, it says, are "very unnatural".

The action has propelled the issue of sex dolls to the top of the news agenda and made them a hot topic of conversation and debate on social media, dividing opinion in the largely conservative southern African country.

Being a Christian nation, obviously we are anchored in Christian principles and one of the values is morality and ethics, Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili told AFP.

Selling or using a sex doll is against Zambian law, she said, vowing to ensure they are not bought on the internet and imported.

The use of sex dolls is definitely in contradiction to our natural heritage and our principles," Sumaili added.

The law actually forbids anybody to trade (in) and to use such objects -- and so this is why we are saying for Zambians that this is a very unnatural thing.

It's a crazy world.