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Odisha: Tribal woman abandoned by husband for undergoing tubectomy
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015–2016) report, though Odisha has achieved the total fertility rate target of 2.1, the same among tribals was 2.5
A tribal man in Odisha’s Keonjhar district abandoned his wife, who gave birth to 11 children including a stillborn after she underwent a tubectomy operation accusing her of becoming impure.
Tired of delivering a child every year since her marriage to one Rabi Dehury, Janaki Dehury, a Bhuyan tribal woman of Dimiria village in Saleikena gram panchayat at Keonjhar district, underwent tubectomy on Tuesday at the Telkoi community health centre. Rabi, a daily labourer had married Janaki after his first wife died 11 years ago.
After the marriage, Janaki kept on giving birth to one baby every year which ruined her health. Janaki underwent a tubectomy at the family planning camp after she was persuaded by local ASHA worker Bijaylaxmi Biswal concerning her health.
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However, after coming home, her husband Rabi drove her away from home accusing her of becoming impure. “He told her wife that she has spoiled the family name and had become unfit to conduct ‘Shraddh’ rituals for forefathers. Since Wednesday, Janaki and her 10 children are staying under a Mango tree outside the house as Rabi would not let her enter,” said the ASHA worker.
“We tried to convince him, but he threatened to shoot arrow at us,” she said.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015–2016) report, though Odisha has achieved the total fertility rate target of 2.1, the same among tribals was 2.5.
The majority of the tribals undergo early marriage and have a very low contraceptive usage which leads to childbearing at an early age. With no healthy timing and spacing between pregnancies, it causes more morbidity and mortality among mothers and infants.
