Victim of man’s lust, unwed mothers face shame and starvation in Kerala’s tribal belts

They are among the most unfortunate creations of God. The tribal belts of Wayanad, Palakkad and Kasargode districts are home to hundreds of unwed mothers living in abject penury and destitution.

There has been a steep rise in the number of unwed mothers in the tribal community in the past few years. Tribal girls fall victim to sexual harassment and exploitation by influential men who leave them in the lurch after abusing them. Forest officials, labourers, tourists, local VIPs etc are among those accused of impregnating young girls. They lure teenage girls by giving them money, liquor, clothes, bags, and perfumes.

An unwed mother is defined as a girl or woman who is not legally married to a man by whom she has conceived a child. She may be pregnant or has already delivered one or more children.

Women who give birth out of wedlock are placed in a precarious position compared to married mothers. Unmarried mothers generally have lower incomes, lower education levels, and bleak prospects in the marriage market than the single women without children. Children born to most unmarried mothers live in poverty and unstable living conditions and are inclined to fall victims to socio-economic and emotional problems.

A survey conducted by the Kerala Women’s Commission (KWC) has found over 2000 unwed mothers in the tribal hamlets. According to KWC, most unwed mothers are 14 to 20 years old. The presence of unwed mothers is a major social problem in the tribal communities. Most unwed mothers are victims of sexual exploitation.

According to an NGO that looked into the living conditions of unwed mothers in Wayanad district, most unwed mothers feel lonely, isolated, poor and harassed. They experienced frequent blame, isolation in families, peer groups, neighbourhoods and in wider tribal communities.

According to health experts, even premature deaths of unwed tribal women are not uncommon, and several crude and inhuman methods have been employed to eliminate infants even after birth. Some of the unwed mothers later end up in prostitution since there is absolutely no income for survival.

The NGO points out that the unwed mothers are in urgent need of psychological and social support. Even though her maternity is illegitimate, an unwed mother needs financial support to look after her children. Children of unwed mothers too are the future citizens of the country and they have the same rights as their more fortunate breathren to food, clothing and shelter and a fair chance to raise their level of skill and education.

Kerala Government has formulated a rehabilitation package for unwed mothers hailing from the tribal sector. Under this package, the Government is offering peps like pension and ration rice at subsidised rates to unwed mothers. But it’s just a drop in the ocean.

The problem is compounded by large-scale encroachment of non-tribals into the tribal land. Consequently, tribals are facing the risk of being driven out of their home land.

A committee of the Kerala Legislative Assembly had examined the problem and submitted a report to the Government. But the Government is yet to implement most of the recommendations of the committee. The fact that these unmarried tribal women continue to live in a state of penury and neglect years after their problems come to public attention, is a blot on Kerala that boasts of highest rate of literacy in the country and unique achievements in the social sector.

Also read

Gangraped at 24, Sapna Bhavnani didn’t let abuse & insults stop her from chasing her dreams

Have you heard about these ‘secret’ Indian festivals?

In the clutches of narco-terrorism: With liquor bars down, Kerala is high on psychotropic drugs