Until then, I had never heard of men having had sexual intercourse with so many women.

Well, OK, I am from the polygamous Highlands region of Papua New Guinea and know men who have up to 15 wives, sometimes more, but they married each of them by paying bride price and followed strict traditional laws, norms and values to start a family and raise children. Sex outside of marriage was taboo.

The institution of marriage was respected, a power base from which to expand influence, an opportunity to foster peace and harmony and to establish trade relations with the women’s people.

But as the 21st century really got rolling, PNG was changing fast. Tribal norms and values were breaking down. Family units too were disintegrating. And other problems appeared. Inequalities in education, unemployment, illiteracy, poor housing, social problems like prostitution and other woes.

Children were becoming rebellious. Instead of going to school, male and female students consumed homebrew and got involved in cult activities. School fights commonly resulted in deaths.

Diseases like HIV/AIDS wiped out thousands of people as they spread like wildfire throughout PNG. Millions of kina were spent by the government and international aid agencies.

Many brave men and women in Papua New Guinea who lived with the virus came out publicly to announce their status.

Imagine an innocent pregnant mother going to the prenatal clinic and finding out she is HIV positive. How does she break the devastating news to her husband and family members?

I once knew a man who confessed his sexual exploits only after his pregnant wife returned a negative blood test. He had spent some agonising hours waiting for his wife to return home with the test result.

As he waited, all sorts of dreadful thoughts clouded his mind. His wife of course knew nothing of his extramarital affairs. When she got home, he found to his relief that she had a negative test result. He thanked God Almighty for having looked after him and got on his knees, took his wife’s hands and kissed it.

His perplexed wife looked on silently. Then, to her surprise, he confessed his sinful life and apologised to her right there on the spot and promised never to involve himself in sinful activities again. With tears in her eyes, his wife accepted his confession.

Anyway, I will now share with you his full story.....

I have a good wife and between us we have produced three healthy children. But I am stupid, very stupid. I was unfaithful to my wife for many years knowing full well that AIDS was wiping out millions of people around the world.

Fearing that I might have caught HIV, I secretly went to a private clinic in Port Moresby and had some blood tests. When the results returned negative, I was very happy. But I continued with my affairs.  I still feel terribly embarrassed and accuse myself for having been an idiot.

Six years ago, after the test in Port Moresby, my wife became pregnant with our fourth child. It was now compulsory for all pregnant women to be tested and when it was time for her to go to the prenatal clinic, I began to worry. I silently prepared for the worst.

What if I had contracted the virus and passed it onto her, even though I had taken necessary precautions? Some doctors say condom cannot be trusted. How would I react if my wife broke the news to me that she was HIV positive?

Evil thoughts began to form in my stupid mind. Should I blame her if she returned a positive? Or should I own up and disappear to some remote corner of PNG? Should I murder myself?

I spent some nerve-wracking hours as I waited at home to see what her reaction would be when she came home.

Her expression was normal. She did not say anything. She resumed her household chores. Without giving any reason, I requested to see the test results. The word ‘NEGATIVE’was written on the card.

The next moment I was thanking God. The good Lord had kept me safe even when I was a mischievous fornicating sinner. I confessed to my wife about my deceitful life. I promised her I would not involve in such activities again.

I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders - the weight of my guilt. Worry and tension can kill a man and needlessly I had brought this burden unto myself.

A couple of months later a healthy child was born into our family. My older children and I sat around the baby and ate some chicken we had cooked. That child is now in primary school.

My advice to husbands involved in extramarital affairs to stop. Be honest and love your wives with all your heart and try to spend quality time with them. Our partners are our soulmates. They left their parents, relatives and friends to cling to us and to be buried in our lands.

I know how many times I cheated on my wife. I thank God I did not catch the virus.