THE PAIN OF BEING UNWED MOTHERS
n Dr. Sunita Sharma/Amarendra Kishore
Orissa has always in the news from time to time because it has an unprecedented number of young unwed mothers between the ages of 14 to 20. Shunned by society and rejected by their families they are allegedly falling into the hands of traffickers and an estimated 3000 girls are traceless from the western districts (the target districts of this project) of this province every year. Apparently they had been promised for marriage and a good life. Frequent natural disasters in this area have made a large number of people destitute, making them easy targets of sexual exploitation. Neither the Indian government nor the local panchayat have come up with any positive solutions. This is worth noticing hereby that the local NGOs have taken up the cause of these victims and are fighting for justice. It is quite sad to note the reaction of a local panchayati who says that we cannot help these girls because society will accuse us of encouraging such immoral behaviour.
In Orissa, which is one of the most backward and challenged states in the country, the number of unwed mothers is more than 40,000. What is more, the number of such young women is steadily on the rise. The perfect balance between civilization and ‘development’ which is promised by the socialist state still does not have any solution for the justice and rehabilitation of such oppressed girls. Whenever the issue of such modern women uprooted from their families and society comes up, the legal terminology of “adult” and “non-adult” or that of “mutual consent” tends to let the offenders get off in the ensuing confusion. These legal loopholes have filled the hearts of these poor girls with despair and the ministries and government seem to be helpless too. Due to these reasons, the plight of unwed mothers and their children is a matter of deep anguish.
Individual experiences and realities often bear no resemblance to the dominant discourses in society. It is interesting to note that in England in 1834 New Poor Law, unmarried mothers were considered undeserving welfare subjects. Unmarried mothers were characterised as lying, manipulative, irresponsible, promiscuous, and sexually corrupt and as bad mothers. There is a commissioner's report that tells us, for example that "continued illicit intercourse has, in almost all cases, originated with the females" and that "female in very many cases becomes the corrupter" the women"feel no disgrace".
Negative characterisation was restricted to women and rarely, if at all, extended to men. There was widespread hostility and opposition to the 1834 New Poor Law and it was criticized for 'operating a dual standard of morality and for allowing men to seduce women with impunity'. This law had a long-term effect and left England with a legacy of single unmarried mothers as stigmatised. Social policy, therefore, played a significant role in regulating and controlling women's sexuality by defining their responsibilities and diminishing their rights.
The state of Orissa, which is such a hot topic of discussion in the media due to its poverty, sickness and misfortune, is chockfull of unwed mothers today. Their number exceeds 40,000. On an estimate, in the next two years, there is likely to be a four to five thousand increase in these figures. With their mountains and forests, that proves to be an ideal haven for those wishing to make these innocent tribal girls the victims of their lust. At the same time, the prospect of teenage pregnancy is completely mystifying for them.
A team of INTWOT, a national NGO, identified total 216 unwed mothers of different cast and class in target districts to know their exact picture. Finally, the team explained 50 different case studies to know various aspect of women exploitation. Since the way of sexploitation in this area is multifaceted. The team was astounded to come across all those causes for being unwed mothers. In course of interaction with various cases, the meaning of democracy, equality, liberty, freedom, empowerment and likes spontaneously become meaningless all together. This is contrast and climax, if we talk for social justice or women empowerment. The lure of glamour, the thrill of passion, innocent surrender and amorous jungle trysts. This scenario is replete with tales of fleeting love and bewildering abandonment, of lingering hope and crushing disappointment. But these are not elements from a Hollywood thriller before the happy ending. These are real-life, unending horrors of women of the tribal areas of Orissa, where the ugly, exploitative face of our `fast developing' society is exposed in all its brutality. The destitute unwed mothers of the Orissa tribes and their children stand testimony, if ever any were needed, that the `civilized' model of living has wreaked havoc in the centuries-old lifestyle of the tribal population, that there is no beast on earth more cannibalistic in nature, less caring of its own kind, than man.
Almost two hundred years later we are facing a similar situation in Orissa. The poor girls of Orissa are going to be victimized by the rich farmers and the corrupt bureaucracy. History is supposed to be a great teacher. Are we in India, going to go through a span of 200 years before we stop judging people on morality issues? Governments policies are meant to alleviate the problems of society not perpetuate them. Panchayats in Orissa have been empowered recently to take a greater role in policy. Empowering local people on areas of local issues may be the right way forward but on issues that affect the rights of women may not be such a good idea. Villages in India are still imbued with the stereotypical image of Indian female sexuality more akin to the Victorian - the passive, pure and innocent woman. It is a very difficult task to separate dominant discourses in society on issues of morality and social policy, but that is the only way forward for policy to be fair and just.
Initially, this was along the lines of a centrally planned economy, but now its government appears to have abandoned protectionist policies and opted for free trade. But not all sections of Indian society look set to benefit from this rush to embrace the western model of economic development. In the firing line are the so-called "tribals" who have never been part of the traditional Indian caste system. Their age-old way of life is vanishing fast, as the authorities seek to "consolidate" smallholdings. Tribal peoples see this as a concerted effort to remove them from the dwindling jungle.
These unwed mothers needs to raise awareness about the plight of young girls who have been raped or seduced by the forest officials, Government employees or others temporarily posted to these remote regions and later left to fend for themselves with the double burden of growing children and social stigma. It is not only those tribal societies are close to nature; trusting and therefore their womenfolk are easy to exploit. In the original tribal social structure, sex before wedlock was not taboo. Unwed mothers were therefore also not looked down upon and it was considered honourable to marry a woman who had already given birth to children. Young people were trained in sexual skills before marriage, through youth centers. Tribal society recognized its responsibilities towards children that might be the result of relations before marriage. But with the invasion of the `developed' world, with its lethal mix of license and hypocrisy, the young girls get exploited by urban men who satisfy their lust and later abandon them.
The tribal society has been invaded in more ways than one. Its young men, influenced by the culture of "Govinda films", no longer wish to marry girls who are not "fresh". The result is total destitution for these women and children, and agony that often lead to mental imbalance. The shocking prevalence of such examples in Orissa does not mean it does not occur elsewhere, once a researcher of my team asked an unwed mother why this occurs so much in Orissa. She said, if there were no facilities for abortion or contraception in places like Delhi, the problem would be huge there too.
The bone chilling statistics about the dire poverty of the region. See this; a labour contractor pays Rs.45 to a man and 35 to a woman for a day's work. But a woman that he will pay her Rs.100 if she spends the night with him as well. Even a kilo of chicken costs more than Rs.65 in Kalahandi. This means the value of a woman is less than this. Actully, there is no policy for these people who have no one to speak for them. Though there are programmes for the "Five J's" - jal, jungle, zameen, jaanvar and jan – one can feel this important and shameful aspect of India has been totally neglected.
The strong-bodied tribals have been at the exploiting end from every direction, even as they have been deprived of the benefits of state welfare. A sense of inferiority, the lure of a few extra rupees, colourful sarees and skirts and the desire to marry and live out the fantasy of an urban life have turned the women of these regions into commodities of people’s lust. This is the reason, the keepers of social development manage to snare them and use them for their bodily desires too. As a result, those agents who are out to raise their awareness and empower them are also busy cutting out a portion of the tribal girls’ identity for themselves. While collecting data for this project in the targeted districts of Orissa, we have come across many incidents, which make it clear that even grassroot bureaucrats and teachers, who pose as agents of democracy do not shy from exploiting these women. The Kalahandi district administration confesses that elderly and senior citizens posing as teachers have added to the sexual exploitation of these daughters of the forest.
Out of these unwed mothers, a few are integrated back in society. But mostly, more than 98% of the unwed mothers are considered a source of pollution in homes and villages. According to Harjinder Singh, who is an advocate of Bhavanipatna, “The neighbours don’t want to see them around and their families throw them out on the second and third day of their pregnancy. Under these circumstances, they are either reduced to menial labour to make a living or else they live out their lives in the shelter houses of some NGOs”. Many of the unwed mothers of the remote areas of Phulbani, Bolangir and Rayagada, resort to prostitution in the highway dhabas after giving birth. After making a survey of the targeted districts, especially all these north west districts, the picture that is emerging attests to the high frequency of unwed mothers among the tribal and other denotified groups, whether it is in the hills or plains.
According to social activist in Basmatipur of Kalahandi Sandhya Devi, “If proper steps are not taken to bring the situation under control, it would become very difficult to save ourselves from the resulting social chaos.” Pitambar Pradhan, who is an AIDS activist in Khurda says: “More than 60% of the girls in the adjacent regions of towns, who are involved in the flesh trade are suffering from some or the other sexual disease. The unwed mothers are not free from these ailments either.” Nirmal Kumar Mohanty of Phulbani gives an assessment of the social situation of the tribals: “The state ¾ which regards sex as a matter outside its purview ¾ has a steadily rising number of unwed mothers.”
Owing to the arrival of people from outside, the simplicity and splendour of this region has come to be steadily eroded by the ill winds from the city. In these remote areas, where thousands die every year due to cerebral malaria, the sale of Pepsi and Coke has gone up. These regions are under the thrall of fashion. But the labouring class does not have the money. Under these circumstances, the innocent young girls can’t be blamed for being tempted by the traps laid out by lovers who promise them cosmetics, colourful clothes, a variety of salty and sweet snacks and chocolates. If a decade ago, these girls used to be lured by a passing thikedar, officer or tourist, a lot of change has come about in the situation now. Now they willingly sell their bodies in service to the god of the marketplace on their own. If advertisements have made the local markets come alive with colourful goods, then its ghostly shadow has definitely reached the remote corners of these rural areas.
For the time being, the condition of tribal society is such that villages like Maskadandi in Kalahandi district have their young men consuming blue films even as there is no food to eat. These young men are always on the look out for women in the neighbourhood to watch these films with them. This is the reason, why girls in the Kalahandi region are very easily falling prey to the designs of men. These young men keep them on tenterhooks through false promises of marriage right from the stage of attraction to romance to the final stage of sexual intercourse. After having analysed dozens of cases, it has come to light that these young men who abscond after making these women pregnant invariably offer marriage as bait. These young women forget to see the more dreadful aspect of physical love in their blindness for the illusion of unfathomable love and the dream of a happy life. They remain deluded in the delights and pleasures of love until their lover abandons them. But by then, the accusing finger of society, the limitation of law in coming to their rescue and the daily abuse from their own people would have succeeded in breaking these mothers completely.
The civilized and democratic inclination within tribal societies has enabled the tribals to have sexual relations within their communities with the greatest ease. The tribals are simple by nature. Simplicity is part and parcel of their culture. Since they were once completely dependent on the forest for their survival, they have imbibed the free spirit of the forest. Since their economic situation was determined by the bounty of the forest, they deliberated on a lot of issues before getting into a marriage settlement. Mohanty says, “The groom’s side needs to get an assurance about the bride’s relative merits before giving bride price.” “In the past, it was believed that the women are crucial to the identity of her community, that is why her abilities count a lot. She must not be infertile. She should not be a novice in sex relations. That is why, if she is the mother of one or more than one child, then the groom’s side promptly seals the deal. And if she is bringing her daughter along with her, then it is considered a bonus.” attests Bhushan Nayak (70) of Thapen village, Kalahandi. But already, tribal society is in the process of denying these earlier values of their community, having come under the spell of urban commercial life. They don’t want brides who are already mothers before marriage or who have engaged in premarital sex.
There is no job security or employment guarantee in the state. Nor is there any law to protect the daily wages. As a result, “ ….the informal sector is rife with cases of sexual exploitation. On the one hand, there is a celebration of sexual purity, on the other hand, thikedars freely exploit girls who haven’t even crossed their puberty under the pretext of giving their daily wages”, says Dayashankar Nayak, a social activist. There are many startling facts in the reasons for the sexual exploitation of young girls. In the coastal areas, during drought season (from February to June) hundreds of young babies and ladies from hilly areas are smuggled and are being supplied at the rate of three to five dollars per head to domestic as well as international tourists in the name of tourism--- this is the price of an entire night. Researchers and social activists, who arrive in these regions in the name of distress tourism, either for cyclone relief or famine work, are equally guilty of exploiting the beauty of the tribals. One hears a lot of noise of tribal tourism in the state these days. Many of the travel agencies in Puri, Cuttack and Bhuvaneshwar are offering attractive travel packages keeping in mind the tastes of these international tourists. These are being availed mostly by the elderly class of tourists.
The administration of these backward regions of the state and the pathetic condition of social justice become merely a matter of helpless scrutiny under these circumstances especially by the concerned ministries and authorities as well. The long chain of this alarming situation continues. The so-called civilized society, its heavy intellectual class, the sociologists, human right activists, women commissions, the whole democractic set up or even the agencies in the name of social justice and women empowerment of the country is forced to mutely monitor the blasting situation which will definitely lead to total disaster.
One must moves towards data collected by the research team. Since the study was mainly concentrated in northern-southern and western part of this province. These regions are more backward than the coastal areas. The number of such mothers is increasing rapidly in the remote areas of Kalahandi and Phulbani. In these two districts, such mothers are more in numbers than other targeted districts of this research project. The study tells that 26.38 % such mothers hail from Kalahandi district, whereas Phulbani shares only 21.75%. In other districts, their percentage are as follows, Bolangir 8.53%, Karaput 11.11%, Malkangiri 10.64%, Rayagada 8.33%, Nuapada 3.24%, Sonepur 5.39% and Bargarh 4.63%. In Kalahandi, most of the unwed mothers belong to Schedule Tribes (40) while Phulbani and also Kalahandi has same number of unwed mothers from Schedule Caste (10 from each district). In Kalahandi the number of unwed mothers from OBC is also high (7). The experts clarified that most of the unwed mothers has been identified from Kalahandi, this is the reason, this district has great share in all sorts of data.
The team identified the unwed mothers from age 9 to 25 years with four age group categories. Most of the mothers are between 14 to 18 years, the best age to be lured with much promises and luxurious cosmetic and edible items. Afterwards, the number goes down between 18 to 22 years and at length the team identified 16 mothers from 22 to 25 years of age group. The team came on this conclusion that all these 16 mothers conceived, when they were 16 or 17 years old.
The team tried its level best to know the dream and wishes of these unwed mothers. None of them expressed to live a life of ‘Living Together’ as their past experiences are acerbic as a whole. All identified mothers are still unmarried. Only 17 want to get marriage but 60 mothers want to live as unwed mothers. Only 9 out of them have already got proposal for marriage but they all are terrified. They do not want to re-enter in that nightmare, where they were treated as beast by the demon of society. But 63.42% mothers are in dilly-dallying to say some words in this respect. They did not think for future as their present has a lot of catastrophe. This is happened due to lack of awareness and motivation.
The economic status of such mothers is not satisfactory. Out of 216, 69.90% mothers are identified as BPL. Their way of life is agriculture labour and migrant labour. They are poor paid. The wage is not regular. There is no guarantee of regular work. They do not have resources or capital. They are not motivated to start micro-credit. The state government is providing packages and progarmmes in the name of Tatkal Rahat (instant relief). However, they need one go solution for ever for their sustainable economic growth.
n Dr. Sunita Sharma/Amarendra Kishore
Orissa has always in the news from time to time because it has an unprecedented number of young unwed mothers between the ages of 14 to 20. Shunned by society and rejected by their families they are allegedly falling into the hands of traffickers and an estimated 3000 girls are traceless from the western districts (the target districts of this project) of this province every year. Apparently they had been promised for marriage and a good life. Frequent natural disasters in this area have made a large number of people destitute, making them easy targets of sexual exploitation. Neither the Indian government nor the local panchayat have come up with any positive solutions. This is worth noticing hereby that the local NGOs have taken up the cause of these victims and are fighting for justice. It is quite sad to note the reaction of a local panchayati who says that we cannot help these girls because society will accuse us of encouraging such immoral behaviour.
In Orissa, which is one of the most backward and challenged states in the country, the number of unwed mothers is more than 40,000. What is more, the number of such young women is steadily on the rise. The perfect balance between civilization and ‘development’ which is promised by the socialist state still does not have any solution for the justice and rehabilitation of such oppressed girls. Whenever the issue of such modern women uprooted from their families and society comes up, the legal terminology of “adult” and “non-adult” or that of “mutual consent” tends to let the offenders get off in the ensuing confusion. These legal loopholes have filled the hearts of these poor girls with despair and the ministries and government seem to be helpless too. Due to these reasons, the plight of unwed mothers and their children is a matter of deep anguish.
Individual experiences and realities often bear no resemblance to the dominant discourses in society. It is interesting to note that in England in 1834 New Poor Law, unmarried mothers were considered undeserving welfare subjects. Unmarried mothers were characterised as lying, manipulative, irresponsible, promiscuous, and sexually corrupt and as bad mothers. There is a commissioner's report that tells us, for example that "continued illicit intercourse has, in almost all cases, originated with the females" and that "female in very many cases becomes the corrupter" the women"feel no disgrace".
Negative characterisation was restricted to women and rarely, if at all, extended to men. There was widespread hostility and opposition to the 1834 New Poor Law and it was criticized for 'operating a dual standard of morality and for allowing men to seduce women with impunity'. This law had a long-term effect and left England with a legacy of single unmarried mothers as stigmatised. Social policy, therefore, played a significant role in regulating and controlling women's sexuality by defining their responsibilities and diminishing their rights.
The state of Orissa, which is such a hot topic of discussion in the media due to its poverty, sickness and misfortune, is chockfull of unwed mothers today. Their number exceeds 40,000. On an estimate, in the next two years, there is likely to be a four to five thousand increase in these figures. With their mountains and forests, that proves to be an ideal haven for those wishing to make these innocent tribal girls the victims of their lust. At the same time, the prospect of teenage pregnancy is completely mystifying for them.
A team of INTWOT, a national NGO, identified total 216 unwed mothers of different cast and class in target districts to know their exact picture. Finally, the team explained 50 different case studies to know various aspect of women exploitation. Since the way of sexploitation in this area is multifaceted. The team was astounded to come across all those causes for being unwed mothers. In course of interaction with various cases, the meaning of democracy, equality, liberty, freedom, empowerment and likes spontaneously become meaningless all together. This is contrast and climax, if we talk for social justice or women empowerment. The lure of glamour, the thrill of passion, innocent surrender and amorous jungle trysts. This scenario is replete with tales of fleeting love and bewildering abandonment, of lingering hope and crushing disappointment. But these are not elements from a Hollywood thriller before the happy ending. These are real-life, unending horrors of women of the tribal areas of Orissa, where the ugly, exploitative face of our `fast developing' society is exposed in all its brutality. The destitute unwed mothers of the Orissa tribes and their children stand testimony, if ever any were needed, that the `civilized' model of living has wreaked havoc in the centuries-old lifestyle of the tribal population, that there is no beast on earth more cannibalistic in nature, less caring of its own kind, than man.
Almost two hundred years later we are facing a similar situation in Orissa. The poor girls of Orissa are going to be victimized by the rich farmers and the corrupt bureaucracy. History is supposed to be a great teacher. Are we in India, going to go through a span of 200 years before we stop judging people on morality issues? Governments policies are meant to alleviate the problems of society not perpetuate them. Panchayats in Orissa have been empowered recently to take a greater role in policy. Empowering local people on areas of local issues may be the right way forward but on issues that affect the rights of women may not be such a good idea. Villages in India are still imbued with the stereotypical image of Indian female sexuality more akin to the Victorian - the passive, pure and innocent woman. It is a very difficult task to separate dominant discourses in society on issues of morality and social policy, but that is the only way forward for policy to be fair and just.
Initially, this was along the lines of a centrally planned economy, but now its government appears to have abandoned protectionist policies and opted for free trade. But not all sections of Indian society look set to benefit from this rush to embrace the western model of economic development. In the firing line are the so-called "tribals" who have never been part of the traditional Indian caste system. Their age-old way of life is vanishing fast, as the authorities seek to "consolidate" smallholdings. Tribal peoples see this as a concerted effort to remove them from the dwindling jungle.
These unwed mothers needs to raise awareness about the plight of young girls who have been raped or seduced by the forest officials, Government employees or others temporarily posted to these remote regions and later left to fend for themselves with the double burden of growing children and social stigma. It is not only those tribal societies are close to nature; trusting and therefore their womenfolk are easy to exploit. In the original tribal social structure, sex before wedlock was not taboo. Unwed mothers were therefore also not looked down upon and it was considered honourable to marry a woman who had already given birth to children. Young people were trained in sexual skills before marriage, through youth centers. Tribal society recognized its responsibilities towards children that might be the result of relations before marriage. But with the invasion of the `developed' world, with its lethal mix of license and hypocrisy, the young girls get exploited by urban men who satisfy their lust and later abandon them.
The tribal society has been invaded in more ways than one. Its young men, influenced by the culture of "Govinda films", no longer wish to marry girls who are not "fresh". The result is total destitution for these women and children, and agony that often lead to mental imbalance. The shocking prevalence of such examples in Orissa does not mean it does not occur elsewhere, once a researcher of my team asked an unwed mother why this occurs so much in Orissa. She said, if there were no facilities for abortion or contraception in places like Delhi, the problem would be huge there too.
The bone chilling statistics about the dire poverty of the region. See this; a labour contractor pays Rs.45 to a man and 35 to a woman for a day's work. But a woman that he will pay her Rs.100 if she spends the night with him as well. Even a kilo of chicken costs more than Rs.65 in Kalahandi. This means the value of a woman is less than this. Actully, there is no policy for these people who have no one to speak for them. Though there are programmes for the "Five J's" - jal, jungle, zameen, jaanvar and jan – one can feel this important and shameful aspect of India has been totally neglected.
The strong-bodied tribals have been at the exploiting end from every direction, even as they have been deprived of the benefits of state welfare. A sense of inferiority, the lure of a few extra rupees, colourful sarees and skirts and the desire to marry and live out the fantasy of an urban life have turned the women of these regions into commodities of people’s lust. This is the reason, the keepers of social development manage to snare them and use them for their bodily desires too. As a result, those agents who are out to raise their awareness and empower them are also busy cutting out a portion of the tribal girls’ identity for themselves. While collecting data for this project in the targeted districts of Orissa, we have come across many incidents, which make it clear that even grassroot bureaucrats and teachers, who pose as agents of democracy do not shy from exploiting these women. The Kalahandi district administration confesses that elderly and senior citizens posing as teachers have added to the sexual exploitation of these daughters of the forest.
Out of these unwed mothers, a few are integrated back in society. But mostly, more than 98% of the unwed mothers are considered a source of pollution in homes and villages. According to Harjinder Singh, who is an advocate of Bhavanipatna, “The neighbours don’t want to see them around and their families throw them out on the second and third day of their pregnancy. Under these circumstances, they are either reduced to menial labour to make a living or else they live out their lives in the shelter houses of some NGOs”. Many of the unwed mothers of the remote areas of Phulbani, Bolangir and Rayagada, resort to prostitution in the highway dhabas after giving birth. After making a survey of the targeted districts, especially all these north west districts, the picture that is emerging attests to the high frequency of unwed mothers among the tribal and other denotified groups, whether it is in the hills or plains.
According to social activist in Basmatipur of Kalahandi Sandhya Devi, “If proper steps are not taken to bring the situation under control, it would become very difficult to save ourselves from the resulting social chaos.” Pitambar Pradhan, who is an AIDS activist in Khurda says: “More than 60% of the girls in the adjacent regions of towns, who are involved in the flesh trade are suffering from some or the other sexual disease. The unwed mothers are not free from these ailments either.” Nirmal Kumar Mohanty of Phulbani gives an assessment of the social situation of the tribals: “The state ¾ which regards sex as a matter outside its purview ¾ has a steadily rising number of unwed mothers.”
Owing to the arrival of people from outside, the simplicity and splendour of this region has come to be steadily eroded by the ill winds from the city. In these remote areas, where thousands die every year due to cerebral malaria, the sale of Pepsi and Coke has gone up. These regions are under the thrall of fashion. But the labouring class does not have the money. Under these circumstances, the innocent young girls can’t be blamed for being tempted by the traps laid out by lovers who promise them cosmetics, colourful clothes, a variety of salty and sweet snacks and chocolates. If a decade ago, these girls used to be lured by a passing thikedar, officer or tourist, a lot of change has come about in the situation now. Now they willingly sell their bodies in service to the god of the marketplace on their own. If advertisements have made the local markets come alive with colourful goods, then its ghostly shadow has definitely reached the remote corners of these rural areas.
For the time being, the condition of tribal society is such that villages like Maskadandi in Kalahandi district have their young men consuming blue films even as there is no food to eat. These young men are always on the look out for women in the neighbourhood to watch these films with them. This is the reason, why girls in the Kalahandi region are very easily falling prey to the designs of men. These young men keep them on tenterhooks through false promises of marriage right from the stage of attraction to romance to the final stage of sexual intercourse. After having analysed dozens of cases, it has come to light that these young men who abscond after making these women pregnant invariably offer marriage as bait. These young women forget to see the more dreadful aspect of physical love in their blindness for the illusion of unfathomable love and the dream of a happy life. They remain deluded in the delights and pleasures of love until their lover abandons them. But by then, the accusing finger of society, the limitation of law in coming to their rescue and the daily abuse from their own people would have succeeded in breaking these mothers completely.
The civilized and democratic inclination within tribal societies has enabled the tribals to have sexual relations within their communities with the greatest ease. The tribals are simple by nature. Simplicity is part and parcel of their culture. Since they were once completely dependent on the forest for their survival, they have imbibed the free spirit of the forest. Since their economic situation was determined by the bounty of the forest, they deliberated on a lot of issues before getting into a marriage settlement. Mohanty says, “The groom’s side needs to get an assurance about the bride’s relative merits before giving bride price.” “In the past, it was believed that the women are crucial to the identity of her community, that is why her abilities count a lot. She must not be infertile. She should not be a novice in sex relations. That is why, if she is the mother of one or more than one child, then the groom’s side promptly seals the deal. And if she is bringing her daughter along with her, then it is considered a bonus.” attests Bhushan Nayak (70) of Thapen village, Kalahandi. But already, tribal society is in the process of denying these earlier values of their community, having come under the spell of urban commercial life. They don’t want brides who are already mothers before marriage or who have engaged in premarital sex.
There is no job security or employment guarantee in the state. Nor is there any law to protect the daily wages. As a result, “ ….the informal sector is rife with cases of sexual exploitation. On the one hand, there is a celebration of sexual purity, on the other hand, thikedars freely exploit girls who haven’t even crossed their puberty under the pretext of giving their daily wages”, says Dayashankar Nayak, a social activist. There are many startling facts in the reasons for the sexual exploitation of young girls. In the coastal areas, during drought season (from February to June) hundreds of young babies and ladies from hilly areas are smuggled and are being supplied at the rate of three to five dollars per head to domestic as well as international tourists in the name of tourism--- this is the price of an entire night. Researchers and social activists, who arrive in these regions in the name of distress tourism, either for cyclone relief or famine work, are equally guilty of exploiting the beauty of the tribals. One hears a lot of noise of tribal tourism in the state these days. Many of the travel agencies in Puri, Cuttack and Bhuvaneshwar are offering attractive travel packages keeping in mind the tastes of these international tourists. These are being availed mostly by the elderly class of tourists.
The administration of these backward regions of the state and the pathetic condition of social justice become merely a matter of helpless scrutiny under these circumstances especially by the concerned ministries and authorities as well. The long chain of this alarming situation continues. The so-called civilized society, its heavy intellectual class, the sociologists, human right activists, women commissions, the whole democractic set up or even the agencies in the name of social justice and women empowerment of the country is forced to mutely monitor the blasting situation which will definitely lead to total disaster.
One must moves towards data collected by the research team. Since the study was mainly concentrated in northern-southern and western part of this province. These regions are more backward than the coastal areas. The number of such mothers is increasing rapidly in the remote areas of Kalahandi and Phulbani. In these two districts, such mothers are more in numbers than other targeted districts of this research project. The study tells that 26.38 % such mothers hail from Kalahandi district, whereas Phulbani shares only 21.75%. In other districts, their percentage are as follows, Bolangir 8.53%, Karaput 11.11%, Malkangiri 10.64%, Rayagada 8.33%, Nuapada 3.24%, Sonepur 5.39% and Bargarh 4.63%. In Kalahandi, most of the unwed mothers belong to Schedule Tribes (40) while Phulbani and also Kalahandi has same number of unwed mothers from Schedule Caste (10 from each district). In Kalahandi the number of unwed mothers from OBC is also high (7). The experts clarified that most of the unwed mothers has been identified from Kalahandi, this is the reason, this district has great share in all sorts of data.
The team identified the unwed mothers from age 9 to 25 years with four age group categories. Most of the mothers are between 14 to 18 years, the best age to be lured with much promises and luxurious cosmetic and edible items. Afterwards, the number goes down between 18 to 22 years and at length the team identified 16 mothers from 22 to 25 years of age group. The team came on this conclusion that all these 16 mothers conceived, when they were 16 or 17 years old.
The team tried its level best to know the dream and wishes of these unwed mothers. None of them expressed to live a life of ‘Living Together’ as their past experiences are acerbic as a whole. All identified mothers are still unmarried. Only 17 want to get marriage but 60 mothers want to live as unwed mothers. Only 9 out of them have already got proposal for marriage but they all are terrified. They do not want to re-enter in that nightmare, where they were treated as beast by the demon of society. But 63.42% mothers are in dilly-dallying to say some words in this respect. They did not think for future as their present has a lot of catastrophe. This is happened due to lack of awareness and motivation.
The economic status of such mothers is not satisfactory. Out of 216, 69.90% mothers are identified as BPL. Their way of life is agriculture labour and migrant labour. They are poor paid. The wage is not regular. There is no guarantee of regular work. They do not have resources or capital. They are not motivated to start micro-credit. The state government is providing packages and progarmmes in the name of Tatkal Rahat (instant relief). However, they need one go solution for ever for their sustainable economic growth.
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