A Lot Of Indian Women Are Forced To Do Dangerous Things To Eliminate Menstruation So That They Don't Have To Stop Working
Recently, two news reports make many people shudder to think of women's lives in India. The topic concerns the reproductive health of working-class women in this country.
The first article published in BBC News, which outlines the fact that poor women in Maharashtra sugar-making industry are "encouraged" to cut their uterus to completely remove menstruation, in order to avoid the absence of work during "sensitive" periods. According to statistics in one state in Maharashtra, around 4605 hysterectomy surgeries are performed, most of them for women under 40. There are even 20-year-old women. Menstruation is a normal phenomenon, hence hysterectomy is absolutely unnecessary. It brings a lot of risks. Many cases have complications after surgery: joint pain, swollen limbs, frequent dizziness ...
The second article was published on Reuters, which revealed a gruesome reality regarding the multi-billion dollar textile industry in Tamilnadu, South India. Tamil Nadu has more than 300,000 female workers. In reality, this number is even higher because there are several thousand people working without government control. Young girls work here to earn dowry enough to get married - an act in India that has been condemned worldwide. They are not allowed to rest every time they feel sick. Women, who work, are given only one pill when they feel pain during their periods. No labels, no one knows what kind of medicine it is. After analysis, lab doctors said it was a drug that works to relieve the pain of menstrual periods, but leaves terrible side effects if used regularly. According to a Thomson Reuter Foundation report on more than 100 women - mostly aged 15-25, the drug caused dizziness, nausea, erratic menstruation, depression, and made conception more difficult. However, women there are still forced to take the medicine because it is strictly controlled by employers.
It is known that menstruation has long been considered a "taboo" in India. Women's periods were always considered unclean, and they are not allowed to participate in cultural and religious events. Although there were many campaigns to disseminate knowledge about menstruation, many women from poor backgrounds still had no other choice.
Source: BBC, Reuter
