Maternal Healthcare Evades Marginalised Mothers

Laxmi Yarragantla, a 20-year-old mother of three, lives in the Warangal district, where over 50 percent of girls are married before they reach 18 years. Credit: Stella PaulIn the small village of Haldiyaganj in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya, 17-year old Injuara Begum is nursing her son who was born right here on the floor of her home three years ago. She has never heard of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), a government health scheme that provides free medicine, midwife assistance and 30 dollars in cash to all pregnant women who deliver at a government hospital. “In marginalised communities, early marriage is the only way to…ensure a girl’s physical safety.” -- Mamatha RaghuveerNor is she aware that marriage before 18 years of age is illegal and punishable by law. “My parents arranged my marriage when I was fourteen,” she tells IPS in a whisper – a result of shyness coupled with intense fatigue that has plagued her ever since giving birth. Injuara comes from a poor Muslim family that migrated to India from Bangladesh in 1980. Her father, a brick kiln worker, says the early marriage was intended to “protect his daughter’s future” in this volatile border village where there are few opportunities for women beyond motherhood. Injuara’s story is indicative of a worrying trend in India, where, according to a 2012 study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 22 percent of women become mothers before the age of eighteen. Research indicates tha...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Active Citizens Aid Asia-Pacific Civil Society Development & Aid Economy & Trade Education Featured Gender Headlines Health Human Rights Migration & Refugees Population Poverty & MDGs Regional Categories TerraViva Europe Source Type: news