Sex rackets thriving in Attappady

By G. Prabhakaran

ATTAPPADY, JUNE 16. There are shocking revelations about the `unwed child mothers' from among the 25,000-strong tribal population of the Attappady Hills in Palakkad district.

#The latest problem haunting the tribals here is not only of the hundreds of `unwed mothers' in its 170 settlements but the gruesome incidents of their minor school children staying in tribal hostels getting pregnant and becoming mothers.

#A 15-year-old student of the Chindakki Tribal High School staying in the tribal hostel run by the Attappadi Farming Co- operative Society delivered a child at her Chemmannur tribal hamlet last month. Her father, Velli, who was an employee of the Gottiyarkandi Tribal Hostel, tried to take away the girl from the hostel sensing danger to her life, but in vain. However, after some months, he was found hanging under mysterious circumstances.

#Another girl of the same hostel had delivered a child last year. There are reports that three more girls of the hostel are found to be pregnant.

#Some local women's groups say they have information that some other tribal student hostels too have sex rackets in them. These shocking incidents are happening in the hostels run by Government agencies and, allegedly, some of the custodians of the tribal girls were involved in the `rackets', which have been on the job for the last few years.

#Social activists and women's organisations here say that the tribal girls of the hostels are taken to some cinema theatres for late night shows by the hostel wardens, allegedly with the connivance of the authorities. There they are handed over to the racketeers and the wardens, mostly temporary employees, return without the girls.

#These innocent minor girls are allegedly lured with a pen, book, ice cream or a pair of clothes. Initially, the gang members promise them to marry. But later they are threatened if they complained, and finally deserted to become `unwed child mothers'.

#Recently, six victims of the Chindakki hostel racket sent a petition to the Kerala State Women's Commission and a youth was arrested for sexually exploiting one of them. When the police filed an FIR against the youth after his marriage with another girl was fixed discarding a tribal girl he had exploited, some local politicians tried to hush up the matter. However, the police were forced to arrest him later. But many other key figures in the rackets are still at large.

#The `Anweshi' women's group leader, Ms. K. Ajitha, who was here the other day to inquire into these incidents, told The Hindu that the information she gathered from the women activists and others were most unbelievable and shocking. This should make any civilised Keralite hang his head in shame. Those who were responsible for looking after the welfare of these minor children had not only failed to do so but allegedly connived with the gang that destroyed them, she said.

#Though the Attappadi Farming Co-operative Society is under the Co-operative Department and the District Collector is its chairman, the authorities are yet to take any action against the culprits.

#According to a tribal activist, the atrocities against the tribal women in Attappadi are beyond imagination. The women who have been victims usually do not reveal their problem. This is evident from the increasing number of `unwed mothers' in this tribal belt.

#The Attappadi tribal area has beaten the Wayanad tribal belt in the number of `unwed mothers'. For example, the tribal hamlet of Agali alone is estimated to be having nearly 10 `unwed mothers'. There are 170 tribal hamlets in Attappady and on an average there are at least three to six `unwed mothers' in each hamlet. A conservative estimate puts the `unwed mothers' of Attappadi above 300, the activist says.

#The tribals here are an artless people with noble customs and traditions. They have freedom to find and choose their life partners. They are innocent and welcome outsiders who visit their hamlets. But their innocence is exploited by the outsiders. The settlers and the officials, who come to work here mainly for the development of the tribals, seduce their girls by promising to marry them. After a period of time, they go back to their own native place, leaving behind their tribal wives and children in misery.

#Ms. Molly, an advocate and activist, says: "Among the sexual exploiters of the tribal women, one can find a wide range of people from the ranks of police, Government officials, contractors, smugglers, flesh traders and migrant farmers. In the process of sexual exploitation, incidents of death and murder are very common and in most of the cases, the culprits go unpunished. Most murders are registered as cases of suicides.

# "Even for a loan, tribal women are forced to surrender to petty officials. They are taken away for brick kiln and road construction works. They are also sold for prostitution and blue films. Thus, in every way, tribal women are exploited and marginalised. Yet the Government authorities and the law- enforcing officials close their eyes to all these problems."

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