Sex-selective abortions on the rise in Kavre district
The number of sex-selective abortions is steadily increasing in Kavre, a district adjacent to Kathmandu. Most of these abortions are requested by unmarried women between the ages of 18 and 30. According to the Kavre District Health Office (DHO), in the fiscal year 2015-2016, there were 1,256 women who had legal abortions. By the following fiscal, the number rose to 1,528. There are 15 health offices in Kavre that are authorized to provide abortion services. Abortion rates in the district are rising because of a number of reasons, such as the lack of sex education, the misuse of social media and the desire for a son.
"I didn’t want to abort but was forced to after a video x-ray revealed that I was carrying a female fetus" Radhika Basnet, A 29-year resident of Bhumlu
“Some health workers may perform abortions secretly,” says Dr. Nand Raj Awasthi, Chief of Kavre DHO. “But our monitoring hasn’t found such cases. They don’t get revealed because unauthorized abortions are carried out privately by some doctors, medical workers or even by quacks.”
The law allows abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. But sex-selective abortions are illegal. “We take action against those who ask for or perform sex-selective abortions,” claims Dr. Awasthi.
Some medical centers and doctors charge exorbitant rates to carry out sex-selective abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Some claim that absence of regular monitoring has led to an increase in the number of such cases. A medical center operator corroborated this claim, saying, “There are many couples who come to my center asking for such abortions. But we don’t perform them. If the government investigates this matter, many hospitals and medical centers will be implicated.”
Radhika Basnet, a 29-year resident of Bhumlu rural municipality, laments that she has had to abort her pregnancy twice under pressure from her husband and family. “I didn’t want it but was forced to after a video x-ray revealed that I was carrying a female fetus. I paid Rs 9,000 to a medical center for the service.”
Unsafe, dangerous
A number of doctors claim that the use of contraceptives among adolescents is also on the rise. “Youngsters are taking contraceptive pills to avoid pregnancy,” says Dr Awasthi. “But they are not risk-free. Excessive use of these pills can cause uterine cancer and heavy bleeding. Women who rely only on contraceptive pills are also at a high risk of contracting sexually-transmitted diseases as well.”
Medical store operators report that among the various methods of family planning, the contraceptive pill sells the most. A medical store operator in Banepa says that many young people also buy the emergency contraceptive pill (also known as the morning-after pill) at an interval of a week. High school and college students are the ones who buy these pills the most.
Because contraceptive pills are easier to use than other methods of family planning, they are preferred by women. They are also easily available, even in paan shops and hotels, for as little as Rs 80. The use of contraceptives such as Econ, I-pill, Unwanted, MTP Pregnot and MT pills is common.
Dowry takes lives of mother and daughter in Janakpur
A 25-year-old woman from Janakpur committed suicide by taking poison after she was repeatedly tortured by her in-laws for more dowry, according to the police. A resident of
Janakpur sub-metropolitan-4 Sarhanchiya Shanti Nagar, Seema Sharma also poisoned her two year-old-daughter Gauri before consuming the poison herself.
According to Govinda Thapalia, Superintendent at District Police Office Dhanusha, Sharma was often harassed by her husband and in-laws. “Preliminary investigation shows that she faced mental and physical torture,” says SP Thapaliya. “Sharma’s 65-year-old father-in-law Shyam Sundar Mishra and 60-year-old mother-in-law Kiran Mishra have been arrested on the charge of forcing someone to commit suicide. Her husband Sameer Mishra is at large.”
Meanwhile, there have been protests in Janakpur demanding stern action against the accused. A torch rally has also been staged to mourn the death of Sharma and her daughter.
"The dowry system is a social scourge that has deep roots in Madhes. Until when will women in this country be beaten and burnt for it?" Gunja Raya, A women’s rights activist from Mahottari
Managing dowry by selling property
Seema’s family, who hail from Loharpatti-7 Bhrampur in Mahottari, gave Rs 1.1 million to the Mishra family in dowry when she got married. Her father Jaya Narayan, who has been working overseas for the past 15 years, managed the dowry his daughter’s in-laws demanded—Rs 800,000 in cash, a Pulsar motorcycle worth Rs 236,000 and two tolas of gold—by selling his land. Seema and Sameer had gotten married on May 12, 2013 in the Maithili tradition.
Seema’s brother Sujit Kumar says her in-laws used to demand more money and jewelry and threatened to kick her out in case their demands were not met. “We managed to give them whatever they asked for, even by taking out loans, in the hope that my
sister could live with them safely and peacefully. Still they continued to demand cash, gold and other valuables just as a condition for her to visit her family.”
On the night of Jan 14, Sharma took a farm pesticide called Salfas to poison her daughter Gauri and herself. Gauri passed away the following day. Seema breathed her last a day later.
When Seema fell sick after consuming the poison, her husband immediately took her to Janaki Health Care and Research Center on his motorcycle. Because the Center did not have an Intensive Care Unit, she was rushed to the Ram Janaki Hospital. She died on the way.
Gunja Raya, a women’s rights activist from Mahottari, says the dowry system is a social scourge that has deep roots in Madhes. “Women are forced to commit suicide when they are unable to fulfill the dowry demands,” she says. “Until when will women in this country continue to be beaten and burnt in the name of dowry?”
Dhangadi-Dipayal fast track abandoned
Since July 2018, the construction of the Dhangadhi-Dipayal fast track has been abandoned. Dhangadhi and Dipayal are the respective headquarters of Kailali and Doti districts. Earlier, when Dhangadhi was chosen as the provincial capital, the state’s political leaders, including the chief minister, had committed to complete the fast track in two years. According to the initial Detailed Project Report, the fast track covered 84 kilometers between Kailali’s Khutiya to Dipayal. However, after the project came under the purview of the provincial government, the fast track was extended to 105 km to connect Dhangadhi with Dipayal via Khutiya, which is half the length of the Dhangadhi-Dadeldhura-Dipayal highway on which the locals now travel.
Far-West province government had listed the Dhangadhi-Dipayal fast track as a top priority
A second Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) for this project had to be carried out. Birendra Bahadur Chand, the engineer in charge of the second EIE, says another EIE was necessary because more trees were being felled. “The second EIE report is now collecting dust at the Ministry of Forests and Environment. Construction could not proceed as there were trees on the track,” he says.
Apart from blacktopping, there have already been applications for five other construction works on the fast track. The section from Dhangadhi’s Hasanpur to Khutiya is now 80 percent complete. Except for a maintenance contract worth Rs 7.1 million, all the work on the fast track is in disarray.
"The second Environmental Impact Evaluation report is now collecting dust at the Ministry of Forests and Environment"
Birendra Bahadur Chand, Engineer
Only 40 percent work is complete in the 20-km Muda Bazar-Babena section. This contract was awarded to Ashish Nirman Sewa on April 2017 for Rs 230 million and the work was supposed to be completed in 30 months. Chand says the work on six kilometers of this road stalled because there were trees in the section.
The contract for the 4-km section from Ojhena to BP Nagar was given to Shyam Sundar Saud Construction for Rs 29.5 million in June 2017. The contract stipulated that the work was to be completed in 11 months, but even after 18 months, 20 percent work remains incomplete.
Only 20 percent work is complete in the 8-km-long BP Nagar-Kaftadi section. Shyam Sundar Saud Construction had been awarded this contract for Rs 62.5 million a year and a half ago. The completion date was January 9, yet 80 percent of work remains incomplete.
Work on the 50-km section from Kafaltadi to Salena has also been abandoned. The work on this section given to Surya Construction Pvt Ltd for Rs 90 million is only 40 percent complete. Since there are trees hindering the road’s construction and the cabinet has not approved their felling, the work has stopped.
The first cabinet meeting of the Far-West Province government had listed the Dhangadhi-Dipayal fast track as one of its top priorities. The provincial government has allocated only Rs 120 million for the fast track. “It’s woefully inadequate. When the required budget is Rs 430 million, how one can make do with Rs 120 million?” asks Chand. “If the cabinet approves the tree-felling, the payment of over Rs 300 million has to be sanctioned within this fiscal,” he adds.
Lack of human resources has also been an obstacle to the fast track’s construction. Locals are visibly frustrated by the delay.
Last living nomads attracted to modernity
The Raute community, a nomadic group that depends on hunting and gathering for survival and that still primarily resides in the forest, is slowly being drawn to modernity. After a decade-long effort from the government and various NGOs, the Rautes are slowly finding alternate ways to earn their livelihood. The nomadic community, which until recently used to preach that touching money is sinful, is now asking for monetary support from people they come in contact with. They even request the people to phone government officials to inquire about the social security allowance that they have been promised.
The local and provincial level governments have introduced programs to encourage Rautes to settle down. Raute chieftain Surya Narayan Shahi grieves, “We do not find enough food in the jungle, and on top of that, people no longer buy the wood utensils that we make. We have started living like others despite the problems we face with food and shelter. For the time being, we will not settle down in one place permanently, but slowly we hope to be able to eat and dress like others.”
As many as 145 Rautes are staying at Rate Khola in Surkhet’s Lekbeshi municipality-1. Identity cards have been issued to them recognizing them as permanent residents of Dailekh’s Guransh rural municipality. The rural municipality also gives each person in the Raute community Rs 2,000 a month in social security allowance, and the identity card helps them to get their allowance wherever they go.
The rural municipality gives each Raute Rs 2,000 a month in social security allowance
Communal meal
The Ministry of Social Development arranged a communal meal on Jan 5 in an effort to make the Rautes more engaged in society. Food brought in from Birendranagar was also distributed to the Rautes living in Rate Khola.
Singing and dancing programs were held as part of the program. Anita Gyawali, an officer at the ministry, says this was done to make the Rautes familiar with other cultures and to help them socialize better. Clothes, food and children’s toys were distributed to the Rautes by the provincial government.
Maan Bahadur BK, a secretary at the ministry, says the Karnali Province government has a project aimed at getting the Rautes to settle permanently, while providing them social security and preserving their culture. “It’s important to inform Rautes about the disadvantages of living in the forest. But as we have to make efforts to preserve their culture, it will take a while to get them to settle permanently,” says BK.
Rautes lead a nomadic life and roam around forests in the districts of Dang, Surkhet, Salyan and Dailekh in Province 5 and the district of Achham in Province 7. Hira Singh Thapa, Chairperson of Social Service Center Dailekh, says that two teachers and a health worker have been assigned with caring for the Rautes. He adds that the plan is to make them permanent settlers within the next two years.
Malnourished children
A health camp was also conducted on the same day by a team of doctors from the Surkhet Provincial Hospital. Medical Officer Dr Lokendra Thapa reported that more than 80 percent of the Raute children are malnourished. “Lack of nutritious food has led to this problem. Adults seem to be suffering from various infections as well. It’s important to teach them healthy eating habits. They also need to be informed about the importance of taking medicine when they’re ill,” he says.
