THE BUSINESS BEHIND HYSTERECTOMIES

Sunita's face hardens when she talks about her operation. "I went to the clinic because I had heavy bleeding during menstruation", she says. "The doctor did an ultrasound, warned me that I might develop cancer, and told me I needed a hysterectomy that same day."

Sunita says she did not want surgery right away, that she wanted to discuss it with her husband first. The doctor said that the operation was urgent, so she went into the operating room a few hours later. More than two years have passed since that day, but Sunita says she still feels too weak to work or care for their children.

The leaders of Sunita’s village say that about 90% of women in the area have been operated on, some as young as 20. Doctors usually charge about €146 for the operation, which often means that families have to sell livestock and other property to raise the money they need.

For many, it is clear that something strange and deeply disturbing is happening. Reports of some Indian states like Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh suggest that an extraordinarily high number of women of all ages are having their uterus removed.

Dr. Gupta, a member of a local partner of Oxfam, is one of the many activists who believe that some private doctors are committing gross negligence. According to him, "People say that in some places, there are entire districts without uteruses. It seems that private doctors see this as an opportunity to earn money easily. They are operating on women who suffer from ailments that could be treated more easily and less invasively. "To date, there are no reliable data on the number of hysterectomies performed, but evidence suggests that they have become much more frequent in recent years.

With the intention of improving health care for poor people in rural areas, the government launched a national health security plan, the RSBY, in 2008. Under this scheme, families living below the poverty line can receive a subsidy for medical treatment of up to €360 in private hospitals which the state reimburses directly. But critics say the plan seems to be encouraging some clinics to perform unnecessary hysterectomies, using the poor in order to have access to government funds.

The individual states in India are in the process of implementing legislation passed by the central government to regulate the private healthcare sector. Meanwhile, women in India continue to have unnecessary hysterectomies.

LET'S INFORM THEM

Source: bbcnews

HEALTHY TEENS

Adolescent Health Education sessions were conducted in Hadapsar community this month with adolescent girls. The objectives of this session were to

- Create awareness about health-related issues
- Control and prevent health-related problems
- Promote positive health and responsible behavior skills
- Support and help to develop an environment conducive to a healthy lifestyle.

The subject for this month’s session was the physical, mental and emotional changes that take place in adolescence. Our goal is for teens to understand the inner events that happen at this stage in life and learn how to regard and interact with them in a healthy fashion.

Under the Health Awareness Programs, we also had a Rubella Vaccination Drive for teen girls between 12 and 18 in the community . This vaccine is needed to prevent infection during pregnancy, when it can cause serious problems to the unborn baby. For this activity, we had a tie-up with Serum Institute, who provided Rubella vaccines at low cost. In this session we covered 46 teen girls.

LET'S CONTINUE TAKING CARE OF HEIR GLOBAL HEALTH

GIRLS FOR SALE

A farmer who was going through major economic troubles thought it would be a good idea to send his 16 year old daughter to New Delhi when she was offered a job there. He says, “She got on a train and said, 'Father, don’t worry about me, I’ll have enough money when I come back for you to marry me off”.

He never heard from her again. He added that “The police haven't helped us at all. They once went to the trafficker’s house but didn’t arrest him. They don’t treat me nicely when I go talk to them, so now I’m afraid to go”.

Meanwhile, in a slum in Calcutta, a man makes a living selling girls. Although he does not want to give his name, he does not mind talking openly about his business. "I have made a lot of money because there is so much demand for working girls and young prostitutes. Now I own three houses in New Delhi” he says. “I sell between 150 and 200 girls a year, from 10 to 17. “I don’t work in the field; I have people working for me. We tell parents that we're going to get jobs for the girls in New Delhi and then we take them to the placement agencies. What happens to the girls afterwards is none of my business.”

The trafficker claims to make 55,000 rupees (around €650) on each girl. Local politicians and the police seem to smooth things out. “The police know very well what we do. I have to tell them when I'm delivering a girl and pay bribes in every city. I've had trouble with the authorities but I’m not afraid. If I go to jail, I have enough money to pay my bail”, he says.

The director of the Criminal Investigation Unit responsible for combating trafficking in West Bengal, describes police corruption as “negligent” and says his unit is “absolutely determined” to combat trafficking. “We organize training camps and campaigns to raise awareness. We've rescued too many girls and will keep on fighting”, he claims.

“Simply changing the way police work is not enough. After rescuing a girl, what do we do?” wonders a representative of an NGO. “What we need is quick rehabilitation. We need social and legal systems that work.”. He adds that there is a lack of fast courts to prevent traffickers from getting out on bail so easily.

Even if corruption were greatly reduced, there would still be millions of children and parents living in abject poverty, struggling to survive. A lasting solution must necessarily take into account the origin of the social symptom, rather than just focus on the symptom itself.

LET’S SUPPORT THEIR EDUCATION SO WE CAN TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOLUTION

Source: elteologillo

SEAMSTRESSES CLAD IN BLACK

I visited a sewing course for women. Some of them are Muslims and dress in black. They live in a slum, amongst rules and prohibitions. Even laughter is banned for them, that's the most inhumane part, but when they get together to sew they can escape the rules. Here, they laugh.

Sitting beside women dressed in black from top to bottom is shocking. I was shocked at first, at least. I didn’t dare to take the camera out. I think I interrupted their routine. All of them looked at me, not knowing what was coming. Deepti introduced me and they introduced themselves one by one.

—I’m Gyoti.
—My name is Pallabi.
—Shagupta
—Mubina
—Aisha
My turn.
—Aïcha, Aïcha, écoute-moi…

They laughed, and I felt comfortable.

They are learning to sew, are just getting started. Making buttonholes, stitching material... Mubina and Aisha are sitting next to me. They had to leave school and started dressing in black when they reached puberty. Now they want to be seamstresses. Someday they will make colored dresses. The title of the text mentions seamstresses in black but not all the women dress like that, only the Muslims. Hindu women wear brightly colored kurtas. That's the only thing that tells them apart; aside from that, they get along well as community women.

Fundación Asha-Kiran created this course, and Deepti, the coordinator, showed me the project. There are four Rajesh sewing machines in the classroom that resemble old Singers. However, for these women, what they release by talking is more important than what they sew together with thread. “This is a place to talk, the only place where anyone listens. Also, this course may bring them monetary benefit”, says Deepti. “One of the keys to the success of this project is based on proximity - we offer the course in the community itself, and since they are close to home, it’s easier for them to get permission from their husbands. Besides, it's free”.

They put the needles aside for a while and we start to chat. Deepti is the translator and mediator. She magically combines sweetness and respect - it is obvious that her work fulfils her.

The women often talk about their problems at home, so as to release their burden and responsibility. “We usually laugh here”, said one of them,” without having to cover our mouths, as tradition dictates”. They all laugh freely here. For example, they let out a belly laugh when we said that men can wash dishes. “Yes, we know that household responsibilities can be shared with husbands but we would never ask them...”.

“We talk about the situation of women, about why there are so many rapes, for example”, says Nilofer, who has been the most daring when speaking. The women address three serious problems:

Rape. They comment that the media have worsened the situation. Before, violence or sex scenes weren’t found on TV. It wasn’t so easy to see pornographic films. “We can’t talk about sexuality, and movies are the only reference youngsters have. What they do is put into practice what they see in films and they assault any woman to that end”, translates Deepti, adding that “The problem is patriarchy. Also, they know how to choose a victim; they get the weakest one, one that won’t put up a fight”.

Social pressure. According to the women, this is the most serious problem - having to constantly worry about “what people think”. They began to give examples.

We can’t give our opinion because it’s frowned upon.
We can’t talk to men who are not family members.
We can hardly go outside and must always be home at 7 pm.
Our attire is established.
We can’t laugh freely.
The women eat after the men have finished. We eat what they leave behind.

Female child births. Women are seen as a burden in our communities. They are ill treated, they will go live with another family when they get married and will have to pay a dowry on top... why give birth to girls then? This puts pressure on women. “But us women are important, we are mothers, without us there is no birth”, Nilofer reasons.

When we were about to end the meeting, Pallabik, a woman who had been quiet until then, wanted to add something. “Why are we only talking about negative things? She will then tell them abroad and will give a bad image, but we can say, for example, that the President of India was a woman until 2012, and that the chief of police in Pune is a woman”.

Maria Antonia Artano, Journalist.

TOO YOUNG TO MARRY

Pratigya hears that Chandra, a village mother, is planning to marry off her daughter Basanti. Pratigya grabs her bag and pays a visit to Chandra. What follows is a friendly but uncomfortable conversation about child marriage. Basanti is just 15 years old. The two women talk about the reasons why parents marry off their daughters at an early age, and about the dangers of child marriage. They also discuss why it is important for girls to continue their education.

Later on, Pratigya says that “Local families often believe that if they do not marry their daughters young, they could start a relationship with a boy, something which would bring dishonor to their family. I explained to Chandra that we, as parents, should consider a different approach. Mothers should advise their daughters as friends, not only as mothers, so that the children will listen to their parents from love and common sense, not out of fear of being beaten”.

Pratigya lives in Bhawrak, a small village in India’s most populated state, Uttar Pradesh. With a population of nearly 200 million, the state also has the highest children population in the country. About 154 families live in Bhawrak, and they all belong to a socially excluded and marginalized caste. Until recently, children here rarely went to school, and the were often involved in child labor.

In collaboration with Ikea Foundation, UNICEF is supporting the Government of Uttar Pradesh to establish Child Protection Committees across the state. Now, the Committee in Bhawrak provides a safe environment where people can discuss various topics without fear of being stigmatized. Since the establishment of the Committee, Pratigya and other women have become agents of change. They visit homes and raise awareness on child labor and child marriage. Their message is loud and clear: children should be in school. Led by the village chief, these committees include several village elders, leaders, and two minors.

At fifteen, Anita is one of these minors. “My parents used to say they were going to marry me off soon, but thanks to this Protection Committee, the village elders have convinced my parents not to do so”, says Anita. Committee members have pledged to support the movement against child marriage by publicly stating that they will not marry their own daughters before they reach legal age, and their public commitment has had a significant influence on the rest of the village people.

While Pratigya and Chandra are chatting, Chandra breaks down in tears. Pratigya says that she had her older daughters marry at an early age. One of them has been seriously ill from a complicated pregnancy. Doctors have told her that the girl's uterus is damaged, and have attributed it to her pregnancy at 16. Chandra decides not to marry off her younger daughter. “I've learned from my mistakes. I promised Basanti, my youngest daughter, that she will continue in school and will not get married until she’s 18.”

LET'S PROMOTE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Source: UNICEF