With most of their men away, women face sexual exploitation in

With most of their men, either working as bonded labourers in farms of rich landlords or away in search of some petty jobs, the women are facing the drought and its consequences. And every need for survival — be it water to drink, food to eat or money to treat their sick children — is making them vulnerable and available.

“The dalit women here are falling prey to the wealthy landlords who are using the calamity to sexually exploit them. There have been sporadic incidents of rape in the past also, but the drought has formalised this sexual exploitation with women even consenting to it in the present circumstances. Most of them do not even tell their husbands for fear of being ostracised,” said Narendra Parmar, a village-level worker of Navsarjan — an NGO working with the dalits in the area.

But women observe silence. The tears in their eyes defy their expression that things are well. “The time is difficult. I do not know where my husband is. He left home in search of some job last month. I don’t have money left to even feed the children. We eat just one time in a day,” said Khamaben. The entire village is almost devoid of young men. Only women, children and old people remain. Drought relief — there is almost none.

With no money to even buy few grams of rice, borrowing from Chaudharys is the last option for them. Only few are lucky to have some pieces of land and little gold to mortgage. Rest have little options and sometimes only one where women surrender to the overtures of landlords.

“Hunger has made me a coward,” says 60-year-old Bhalarambhai — the oldest person in the village, in a defeated tone. He said his `lips are sewed’ to speak against the atrocities committed by the landed class on them. “I cannot ever do that in my life-time,” he admitted.

At some distance, in Sami village the women share the same story. After sunset, the entire village looks deserted. No one steps out. The landlords arrive drunk in their hunting ground. “Atrocities are silenced with compromise,” Ratilal Rajanbhai, a local social worker. “We are scared to even go out for fetching water. The drought has unleashed the atrocities on us and we have nowhere to go,” said Khemiben. She narrates the recent incidents in which dalit girls were raped by landlords. “Nobody dares to report to this to police. They give us loans, how can we survive without them?” she added.

In Ekalva village in Harij Taluka, the scene is still worse. Even occasions like death lead to their victimisation leave alone the desperate struggle to survive.

“About 15 days ago, my father-in-law passed away of old age. My husband is away and works as a bonded labourer. I had no water to even give the body the final bath. I approached a tubewell holder, he asked for a price of Rs 50 for two jerry cans,” said Jethiben. “I did not have a single penny. Somehow I managed it from the Chaudhary,” she said.

When asked whether dalit women were exploited by the landlords, she looked at the two landed-class Chaudharys staring lecherously at her from a distance. “No. They help us out in the hour of need. We have got no relief from the government, only landlords give us money,” she said. “We will die without them and we want to live,” she added.