Thousands of poor workers migrate to the sugar cutting farms in India to earn money with up to a 6-month contract for the backbreaking task of cutting sugar cane. Women are unpaid and suffer possible loss of a job if they are off work due to having their monthly cycle. As a result, thousands of women, even young teenagers, pay for expensive hysterectomies that leave them in debt. They are often seriously disabled or ill due to the poor medical treatment and post care procedures. The Times of India reported on the 13th of June 2019.
“A 2018 survey of 200 women in Beed by Maharashtra State Commission for Women revealed that 36% had undergone hysterectomy. A more recent survey this year by the public health department of 271 women showed that 21% had undergone hysterectomies. Both surveys revealed that nearly 85% of the procedures were at private hospitals. “The National Family Health Survey data shows the Beed numbers … are 14 times more than the national average. It’s alarming,” said Dr Abhay Shukla of SATHI (Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives).
Comment:
Global slavery was never eliminated by the fake and ineffective laws of human rights. The world’s largest democracy also has some of the world’s largest organised human trafficking and child slavery problems. In the 2016, Global Slavery Index reported there were 18.3 million people in modern slavery in India. In the same year, 15,379 people were trafficked of whom 9,034 victims were below the age of 18. In addition, 23,117 people were rescued from trafficking situations of whom 14,183 people were below the age of 18. Most of the rescued victims reported being trafficked for the purpose of forced labour (10,509 victims), followed by sexual exploitation (4,980 victims) and other forms of physical exploitation (2,590 cases).
While the bonded labour system is formally abolished and criminalised, recent research indicates that bonded labour is still prevalent in India. Fraudulent recruiters reportedly target families in economically disadvantaged rural areas of India and persuade the parents to send their daughters forward for misleading work opportunities where they are often abused and neglected in terms of their human rights. The terrible circumstances of these women is normalized as Western companies exploit the cheap labour resources of foreign lands. The local governments gain immense financial benefits from their silence and cooperation and use their people as material commodity to be bought and sold. This cycle of exploitation will never end whilst the dangerous principles of Capitalism exist undercover of freedom and liberal values. How many more women must suffer a lifetime of pain and disability? Given that there are endless cues of poor women to take the place of the sick, the system of self-interest does not care to change anything. Under the righteous Islamic values, women have the right to receive a wage for nursing their children! This is how the work of females is valued in the highest of manners! Allah (swt) does not accept the oppressors of people to go unpunished, unlike the system of Democracy and Freedom as discussed in the noble Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: «قال الله تبارك وتعالى يَا عِبَادِي إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا» “Allah the Exalted said: O my servants, I have forbidden oppression for myself and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
Imrana Mohammad