Yet while both the law enforcement and criminal justice systems in the state need to be strengthened, Orissa’s social system too warrants an 
overhaul. A recent incident that occurred in Chandrasekharpur (Bhubaneswar) is a real eye opener. A minor tribal girl from Sinraghati village in Mayurbhanj district who worked as a domestic help at the house of a powerful local personality for just Rs 200 a month got trapped in a physical relationship with the man’s brother-in-law, who promised to marry her soon. But when it came to be known that she was five months pregnant, they gave her some money and packed her off to her village.
But the story doesn’t end here. When the villagers learnt about the 14-year-old’s pregnancy, rather than going after the culprit they threatened to ex-communicate the girl’s family if it failed to deposit a fine of Rs 3,000. So what small assets the family had were sold to pay it. As for the culprit, he was freed within days of his arrest.
A striking feature of the unwed mother syndrome is that most of these exploited girls are minors and come from tribal areas and villages. A survey conducted by INTOW on 10,000 unwed mothers in 2007 revealed that 70 per cent of them belonged to 11 districts with a heavy concentration of tribal households. Says Archana Mohanty, secretary of the NGO Basundhara: “In our male dominated society these poor, illiterate girls have no idea of what they are letting themselves into. They also have no knowledge of contraceptives.” And yet, all that the state government manages to do is to pay the meagre charges of the 30 short stay homes run by NGOs. That done, the government thinks their responsibility is over. Usha Padhi, Director, Department of Women and Child Welfare, admits there are no special arrangements for unwed mothers. But she says the women empowerment schemes that are in place are enough to make them self-dependent.
However, the minister for Women and Child Welfare, Pramila Mallick, denies outright that the government too is in some ways responsible for their plight. Claims Mallick: “The sole remedy lies in spreading awareness among these women. This is why the government funds these NGOs so liberally. Now if despite this they fail to deliver, what do we do?”While the state government has admitted in the legislative assembly that rape cases have gone up by 18.5 per cent, several sensitive posts, including that of the Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission, are lying vacant. And while all concerned in the matter remain busy passing the buck, little girls are raped and ostracised and their exploiters roam freely hunting for their next victim.
(Deepti is not the victim’s real name.
It has been changed to protect her identity.)
overhaul. A recent incident that occurred in Chandrasekharpur (Bhubaneswar) is a real eye opener. A minor tribal girl from Sinraghati village in Mayurbhanj district who worked as a domestic help at the house of a powerful local personality for just Rs 200 a month got trapped in a physical relationship with the man’s brother-in-law, who promised to marry her soon. But when it came to be known that she was five months pregnant, they gave her some money and packed her off to her village.But the story doesn’t end here. When the villagers learnt about the 14-year-old’s pregnancy, rather than going after the culprit they threatened to ex-communicate the girl’s family if it failed to deposit a fine of Rs 3,000. So what small assets the family had were sold to pay it. As for the culprit, he was freed within days of his arrest.
A striking feature of the unwed mother syndrome is that most of these exploited girls are minors and come from tribal areas and villages. A survey conducted by INTOW on 10,000 unwed mothers in 2007 revealed that 70 per cent of them belonged to 11 districts with a heavy concentration of tribal households. Says Archana Mohanty, secretary of the NGO Basundhara: “In our male dominated society these poor, illiterate girls have no idea of what they are letting themselves into. They also have no knowledge of contraceptives.” And yet, all that the state government manages to do is to pay the meagre charges of the 30 short stay homes run by NGOs. That done, the government thinks their responsibility is over. Usha Padhi, Director, Department of Women and Child Welfare, admits there are no special arrangements for unwed mothers. But she says the women empowerment schemes that are in place are enough to make them self-dependent.
However, the minister for Women and Child Welfare, Pramila Mallick, denies outright that the government too is in some ways responsible for their plight. Claims Mallick: “The sole remedy lies in spreading awareness among these women. This is why the government funds these NGOs so liberally. Now if despite this they fail to deliver, what do we do?”While the state government has admitted in the legislative assembly that rape cases have gone up by 18.5 per cent, several sensitive posts, including that of the Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission, are lying vacant. And while all concerned in the matter remain busy passing the buck, little girls are raped and ostracised and their exploiters roam freely hunting for their next victim.
(Deepti is not the victim’s real name.
It has been changed to protect her identity.)
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