2009-09-15 13:00:53

Indian farmers selling wives and daughters to survive drought


(September 15, 2009) It was shocking news that Debt-ridden farmers in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh State of India have reportedly been compelled to sell their wives and daughters to moneylenders in order to survive the drought that is currently ravaging much of India. The situation is such that State authorities have launched an investigation and the National Commission for Women is also sending a team to investigate the reports. India is facing a severe drought situation and in a number states entire farming villages have been abandoned and scores of farmers have taken their own lives. But never before had there been reports about women and girls being sold to pay off debts or help families stave off hunger. Victims in this trade have said that women can cost anywhere between 4,000 to 12,000 rupees and the sale is garbed up as a formal marriage contract. This has brought the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party led by Kumari mayawati, a dalit leader under severe criticism. State officials have said that the issue has been blown out of proportion. However, Father Anand, a priest with the Indian Missionary Society and a former director of the Vishwa Jyoti Communications in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, says that the issue is real. “It is shocking to hear that women are being sold in the Bundelkhand region. This is one of the most backward regions of the country,” he said. Mgr Frederick D’Souza, bishop of Jhansi agrees that Bundelkhand is one of the most backward and neglected regions of the country, and he is deeply saddened by the report.







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