Indian Sugar Cane Workers still ‘Pushed’ into Hysterectomies

Hundreds of women in India’s sugar cane fields are still being pushed into undergoing hysterectomies so they can continue working long, physically punishing hours.

Activists say large numbers of women work long shifts harvesting, carrying, and loading heavy stacks of sugar cane for less than £4 a day.

Many agree to the surgery to avoid losing wages due to period pain, missed work days, or pregnancy-related issues.

They say women have been told that surgery would “release them from the monthly problem” of period pains and allow them to work longer hours.

Manisha Vaijnath Tokle said: “Period pain or pregnancy means more missed days and more lost wages.

“While [sugar cane] contractors may not physically force them to undergo hysterectomies, they create conditions that push women into it.

“For many who have already had children, it feels like the only way to keep working.”

A 2019 survey by local NGOs found that 36% of women in Beed district – a major sugar cane hub – had undergone hysterectomies. The national average was 3%.

In response to pressure, local authorities investigated and discovered that over 13,000 women, including some under 25, had had their wombs removed over the previous decade.

Medical reforms were introduced, including checkups, but activists say little has changed. They argue that women remain vulnerable to the same conditions that led to the surgeries in the first place.

Recent local media coverage has reignited public outrage and renewed calls for accountability.

Campaigners say the problem is rooted in child marriage, early pregnancies, and the harsh realities of farm labour.

Girls as young as 12 are reportedly married off and accompany their husbands to sugar cane farms, where they begin working during puberty and experience intense reproductive stress.

Seema Kulkarni, a spokesperson for an alliance supporting female farm workers, said:

“They’re not allowed a single day off, not even during menstruation, pregnancy or miscarriage. It’s bonded labour in every sense.

“They’re not only losing their daily wages if they take a break, but they also have to pay the labour contractor.”

Nearly three dozen women who had undergone hysterectomies revealed they expected to gain more working days after the surgery. Most were under 40.

They said they had gone to doctors with symptoms such as cysts, irregular periods, and urinary infections, and were told the surgery would solve their problems.

Beed district collector Vivek Johnson said the recent media coverage had prompted inquiries from the prime minister’s office.

He confirmed that the health department was closely monitoring sugar cane workers’ welfare and said new measures would be announced at a forthcoming press conference.