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India's Womb-less Village

Breaking the silence on a womb-less village in India. Explore the societal exclusions and struggles faced by women without a womb.

By Ground report 21 Mar 2024

New Update

"The most sacred place in the world is a mother's womb!"

We are very much aware of the exclusions attached to Menstruation in India. Menstruation is a biological process in a woman's reproductive life that marks the existence of her sexual life. Despite being an important event in her life, the taboos stretch to the extent of calling menstruating women impure, thereby excluding them from the various socio-cultural events of life.

Menstruation is also considered a hindrance to working women, especially in the labour sector to such an extent that women are compelled to work without a womb. Thousands of young women are forced to undergo Hysterectomy, a surgical procedure to remove their uterus.

Sugarcane cutters are the backbone of the sugar industry of Maharashtra. According to the Economic Survey, 36% of the sugarcane factories in India are situated in Maharashtra.

Beed is an administrative district in the Aurangabad division of Maharashtra that is situated in the Marathwada region encircling the states, of Karnataka and Telangana. The Government of Maharashtra has proclaimed it as a drought-prone area in the country due to scarce rainfall, low-quality soil, and a decline in the groundwater index. Due to these extended situations and an increasing pile of debts sugarcane cutters who are mostly landless labourers migrate from one region to another. In the race to produce more and more, the workers are left exploited at the hands of their employers. Women cane cutters face the hardest repercussions.

Thousands of women along with their husbands migrate seasonally (October to April) to these regions to work as Sugarcane cutters. This task is very meticulous and requires utmost punctuality. The couple enters into a contract with the contractors (Mukadams) who act as a link between the factory and the cane-cutting workers.

The traditional working hours are 12-13 hours long with women working additionally for their family doing domestic chores. Every couple is paid an advance of Rupees Fifty Thousand to One Lakh (Rs. 250-300 per day) seasonally. In case of any break in the work, they are liable to pay a fine of Rs. 500-1000 per day to him

The Mukadams insist that the workers must achieve the production targets within the time frame. Menstruation or pregnancy is considered a major hurdle towards achieving the target. Contractors state that during periods women tend to ask for breaks which halts the work. So, the remedy to which women resort is removing their Uterus (Pishvi). The contractors do not directly compel these women to remove their wombs but the fear of attracting heavy fines and dismissal from their jobs pushes them to do the same.

The difficulty in spending on sanitary products has also added to the trouble. Early marriage, repetitive pregnancies and lack of awareness of women's health issues also add to the torment.

The living conditions at their workplace are far from ideal. The families have to live in huts or tents close to the fields. There is no fixed time for sleeping or waking. When women get their period, it just becomes that much tougher due to the absence of sanitation.

Moreover, exhaustive nature of work as in the sugarcane field makes the situation worse. The process of removal of the uterus is also hyped with a misbelief that the womb of a woman becomes futile once she has produced children.

Hysterectomy is a procedure to take off the uterus in case of complications like cancer, fibroids, endometriosis, uterine prolapse, excessive white discharge, or abnormal vaginal bleeding. It is to be resorted to only when medication fails. After a hysterectomy, a woman can no longer get periods and cannot conceive.

These women cane cutters commonly consult their doctors in case of any gynaecological problem. Sooner or later, the removal of their Pishvi (Wombs) is proposed to them as a lasting solution without informing them about the ill effects of the same. Since most of the time these procedures are conducted illegally, women hardly possess any medical reports or papers to show the history of their treatment.

This is not a primitive ritual, it is a modern-day form of heartless exploitation of women for material benefit.
Women working in the sugar industry endure daily pain, as they lift 20-40 kg sugarcane bundles on their heads, including while pregnant or suffering from menstrual cramps.

When women work long(15-18) hours or squat in agriculture fields or lift heavy weights can develop abdominal pain.

To work for extreme hours and to escape this constant pain without any interruption, women are taking the option of hysterectomy.

There were lakhs of hysterectomies done for the past 25 years in the Beed district and 50 per cent of these women were cane cutters between the age of 35-40 years. A small portion of women under 25 years have also undergone the same.

The cost of one hysterectomy is around Rs.60,000/- equivalent to what the couple earns for the whole year. It is seen as a one-time investment to enhance the level of outcome. The Duple takes loans from the Mukadams to undergo this procedure and eventually ends up in a vicious web of debts.

an attempt to boost everyday productivity, the bodies of women are facing irrevocable physiological and psychological danger. Forced hysterectomy is a clear violation of the men's right to reproduction. Women often complain of backache and abdominal pain. They find it difficult to carry out their day-to-day work. There are chances of these women suffering from deadly diseases like cancer. They face hormonal imbalance, weight gain, mental health issues and severe complications in their reproductive life.

Many women carry out this backbreaking work even while pregnant. They work in all weathers right up until delivery. The unsafe working conditions in the sugar fields also sometimes result in miscarriages.

Sexual harassment and abuse are rife in the sugar fields. The nomadic existence of the children continues with the family till the girl children turn 12-13 years old. With limited access to school, the rest of their time is spent playing in the sugar cane fields and staying back in the tent nearby fields when their parents go to work. There are repeated sexual exploitations by contractors and other men.

Thousands of girls are forced to marry by their parents soon after they start having their period between 12-15 years of age. Parents insist on this to ensure their daughters' safety and at the same time couples are hired easily and earn more money in the sugarcane fields.

Until women have a baby, they are considered young and poachable even after they are married.
This is the reason, they try to become mothers as soon as they are married to avoid disgrace to the family.

Sugarcane farming is a difficult task that is extremely labour-intensive. It is physically strenuous and includes tasks such as cutting, tying, loading, transporting and unloading the sugarcane.

The labourers travel to various factories to deliver sugarcane too. A typical working day for them is about 12 to 13 hours long. When devote extra time to perform other domestic labour such as cooking, getting clean water from far-off wells and taking care of the children.

Poverty and illiteracy are two devils. Due to poor awareness, women choose hysterectomies. After this surgery, many women face a disease called osteoporosis which weakens the bone. Other common complications include vaginal prolapse, back pain, poor balance and urinary incontinence.

We could hardly find women with wombs in the villages of Beed District. Poverty compels the sacrifice of a part of the woman's body. This has turned several villages in the district into Villages of "Womb-less" women.

Written by Ramya, Assistant Professor & Tribal Researcher, Department of English, P.K.R Arts College for Women, Erode Dt Tamilnadu