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Posted by Rose on July 1, 2003 at 03:44:44:

In reply to: Devadasi - the choiceless woman posted by asha on June 30, 2003 at 16:21:59:

: Here's an article that might throw some light on the Devadasi
system
: discussed earlier:
:
:
: Saving the Devadasi Woman
:
: By Afroza Nazneen
:
: t was so humiliating. I had to dance for four to five hours
everyday. Men
: openly called out for me to do sexual moves", says 20-year old
Bhavani who
: is a Devadasi. I met her in Kolkata Shanti Utsab last March.
Devadasis are
: young girls 'given' by their parents to the temple to devote their
lives to
: its care. In reality many such girls are subject to sexual abuse.
: Devadasis, moreover, are not allowed to marry and so are sentenced
to a
: life of humiliation and then isolation. Shanti Utsab is a
conference
: participated by sex workers. It is organised by Durbar Mahila
Samanwaya
: Committee. Durbar is a forum of 60,000 sex workers, and has been
fighting
: for a more secure legal status for sex workers. From different
countries
: like United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Nepal, Sweden, and
: Bangladesh, 50 thousands sex workers gathered at the Shanti Utsab.
:
:
: Sakhi has helped many Devdasi to marry, a practice forbidden
before.
: Although the practice of Devadasi is illegal, there are an
estimated 30,000
: Devadasi in the state of Andhra Pradesh alone. The Devadasi women
of India
: are forced into prostitution in the name of religion. They don't
perform
: dances for love, they don't even do it for money. All they get is
a slave's
: wages and public scorn. They are also known as temple prostitutes.
:
: This is how it works: sick baby girls are offered to the 'Goddess
Mathamma'
: by the parents. If she lives the girl becomes a dedicated Devadasi
out of
: gratitude. The infant is then bonded to the temple for life. A
marriage
: ceremony formalises the relationship between the girl and the
deity. Once
: she has passed puberty, her work begins.
:
: The sexual slavery starts with the festival dancing. The teenager
is
: paraded before the whole village. Male drummers beat instruments
around
: her. Bhavani was sworn to the temple because of childhood chicken
pox when
: she was three months old. Bhavani was never sent to school. All
she ever
: learnt to do was dance.
:
: Any male who is Devadasi's social superior may have sex with her,
whether
: or not he has a connection with the temple. She will become his
mistress
: for months but may also have to sleep with other men. She can give
birth to
: children but their father are not known and so she will become a
single
: mother. Their children never go to school but they have to dance
in the
: streets at the festival.
:
: The main culprit behind this inhuman practice is the caste system,
which
: designates Dalits as lower caste. In fact, discrimination against
Dalits
: embraces a more sinister issue than snobbery. Statistics shows
that every
: day in India, 48 Dalit men and women are assaulted; three are
raped, two
: are murdered. Other prejudices include not being allowed to drink
from the
: same glass as that of a higher caste person, to worship in the
same temple
: or even live in the same village as a high caste person. If a girl
refuses
: to co-operate with the Devadasi system, her village and her family
will
: reject her. Often parents encourage the abuse because, in rural
areas,
: agricultural labourers are paid just 30 rupees a day but a
Devadasi dancer
: earns 300 to 600 rupees for each fortnightly festival.
:
: But now-a-days the situation is changing. Women's groups are
campaigning to
: set women free from their bondage to the temple. In Andhra Pradesh
this
: movement is being led by former Devadasi women who have quit
: the 'profession' thanks to a Christian Aid -- supported
organisation. The
: collective Sakhi, now works in 500 villages. Members of Sakhi are
talking
: to parents about why they should not dedicate their daughters to
this life.
: They motivate the village people that this custom is inhuman.
Bijoy Kumar,
: 35, is a Sakhi member. He said that problems came from rural
people when
: the elder people hear he is coming to talk to a Devadasi girl to
run away
: and hide. I went to one place where I have heard they had a dancer
and the
: whole village obstructed me. Finally they showed me a man dressed
as a
: woman and said that it was the dancer I had heard about. "We tell
the women
: they can have another life", says Kumar. We inform them about
government
: loans to which they are entitled, each rehabilitated Devadasi is
eligible
: for 10,000 rupees, which will pay them interest of 100 rupees a
month. They
: can also claim housing loans sponsored by the government.
:
: Now-a-days with the help of Sakhi a rehabilitated Devadasi can
even marry.
: She can work in the field or start any shop or business. So now a
former
: Devadasi can participate in the everyday life of the village.
:
: For Devadasis this is a way to move out of their miserable life
and be able
: to lead a normal life. The biggest benefit from this project to
the
: Devadasi is that she is being recognised as a person.
:
: Source: The Star Magazine

 

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