Is A Woman Just A Sugarcane Field To Be Ravaged?: Harassment Of Female Cane Cutter Workers

Trigger warning: gender-based violence, suicide.

‘Me and my husbond went to a village for sugarcane cutting. Our twelve-year-old daughter, who is mentally challenged, had to come with us as there was no one at home to look after her. While we were working in the field, she was alone in the hut. The village overseer took her to the field, gagged her when she screamed, and raped her. She didn’t tell us anything when we returned in the evening. Days passed. Since she didn’t understand menstrual cycle it, I took care of her. When she didn’t get her period for a month, we took her to the hospital and found out she was pregnant. Because of her mental condition, the doctors refused to perform an abortion. Eventually, she had to give birth.‘ Sunanda (name changed), a forty-year-old sugarcane worker, calmly recounts the abuse her daughter suffered. Her eyes are dry as she tells the story. ‘What could we do? We had no one to support us,‘ she says, accepting the situation with resignation.

In Sunanda’s case, both she and her daughter are alive, but Kalyani ended her life in a well. After Kalyani went for sugarcane cutting, her daughter went to fetch water with a friend. On the way, a young man from the migrant village dragged her into a sugarcane field and raped her. She started bleeding and lost consciousness, lying in the field. Her friend ran back to the field, crying, and told Kalyani’s family what had happened.

Seeing her daughter’s condition, Kalyani was so shocked that she jumped into a well. The girl also died from excessive bleeding. When Kalyani’s husband sought help from the overseer to file a police complaint, he refused, saying, ‘Am I supposed to guard against such trivial matters? It must have been something between the two of them. That’s why the mother killed herself. Can’t you control your women?‘ He blamed Kalyani and her daughter instead.

The law against sexual harassment at the workplace was enacted to ensure a safe working environment for women. However, these sugarcane workers, mostly from vulnerable and Dalit communities, are still deprived of this protection. According to the suo moto case filed by the High Court after observing the condition of sugarcane workers, the labor commissioner’s promise to set up temporary police outposts to address the issue remains on paper. In short, there is no one to listen to their grievances. If a woman speaks out about sexual harassment, she often faces beatings from her husband.

During the sugarcane cutting season, workers migrate from drought-prone areas of Maharashtra, mainly Marathwada, and some talukas in northern and western Maharashtra, to sugarcane-producing regions. About seven to eight lakh workers leave their villages, half of whom are women. Both men and women play crucial roles in sugarcane cutting.

Men cut the cane, while women bundle it and transport it to the tractors. Workers are hired in pairs, with a man and a woman forming a team. Despite women making up half of the workforce, there are no safety measures in place for them in the fields. They are vulnerable to the leering eyes of other men, tractor drivers, landowners, and even the overseer.

If a woman is single, widowed, or abandoned, the risk of sexual harassment is even higher. Ranjana, who raises her three children alone, shares her experience. The sugarcane owner himself tried to molest her. The incident left her so traumatised that she had to be hospitalised. Already struggling financially, she had to borrow twelve thousand rupees at interest for medical expenses.

Ranjana recounts, ‘I go for sugarcane cutting as half a pair. Once, we went to Belgaum. After setting up our huts and having our meals, a landowner came and showed the overseer the field. Later, he asked the women to come to the field to collect firewood. We were about to go when he said only one should come. We insisted that all of us would go. He didn’t say anything after that. That night, while I was sleeping in the hut, I felt someone enter. I thought it was a dog. When I turned on the flashlight, I saw his face. I screamed, and the others came running. He fled into the sugarcane field. The incident scared me so much that my blood pressure dropped, and I lost consciousness. I was taken to the hospital and was unconscious for two days. The intruder was the sugarcane owner, but the overseer did nothing. When I told him about the incident, he said it must have been a misunderstanding. The hospital expenses were twelve thousand rupees, which I had to borrow at interest.’

In Kalpana’s case, at least the overseer stood by them and threatened to leave the field unfinished if the women were not safe. Kalpana and her entire family, including her sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and their children, had gone to Karnataka. They were staying in the sugarcane owner’s bungalow compound. Since they were all together, they made a temporary hut for the women.

Kalpana, her baby, and her sister-in-law’s daughter were sleeping inside. Kalpana says, ‘Since we arrived, one of the owner’s men was checking on us. He ate with us and then went to sleep nearby. Later that night, he entered our hut. But since the hut was made of temporary wood, one of the logs fell. The noise woke us up, and we screamed. Hearing our screams, the others also started shouting. Everyone thought a wolf had come to take the goats, so they all started shouting. The man fled into the sugarcane field. The next day, we told the sugarcane owner that he had entered our hut. The overseer also said to the farmer that if such incidents happened to our people, he would take them away. The owner fired the man. The overseer was good, so the crisis was averted.’

Domestic violence due to sexual harassment 

If a woman faces any form of harassment in the field, such as lewd comments, inappropriate touching, or blocking her way, she often cannot tell her family. Women expect their family members to understand and support them, but husbands or fathers often blame the women instead.

They believe that a man would not harass a woman unless she provoked him, and they beat her to ‘teach her a lesson.’ If a woman says she was touched inappropriately, they injure the specific body part. Women are not safe at home or outside. When they return home, their safe space becomes even more restricted, and they continue to be victims of structural violence.

Deepa Waghmare, a taluka representative of the Mahila Ustod Kamgar Sanghtana (Women’s Sugarcane Workers organisation), says, ‘If a couple is new to the field, many men keep an eye on the woman. Due to their inexperience, they don’t know how to manage in the inadequate facilities. When she goes to fetch water or use the bathroom, someone will grab her hand, hit her seat, or touch her body. If she tells her husband, he doesn’t believe her and suspects her instead. He thinks she must have signaled the man. Women carry bundles and climb ladders to load the tractor. The tractor drivers stand below the ladders. Women have no choice but to work, otherwise they won’t get paid. But when a man stands below the ladder, the husband suspects his wife. If she talks to another man at work, he suspects her, abuses her, and beats her. If another woman supports the victim, her husband beats her too. So, most women remain silent.’

The caste system also plays a role in why men do not support women. The lower a man is in the caste hierarchy, the more helpless he feels. The caste system tries to suppress men in a dominant structure. They have no resources to demand justice.

They fear losing their jobs if they speak out, so they silence the women instead. Some men become aggressive and violent, but most of the time, the police side with the villagers. If they belong to a lower caste, the entire group suffers, and the men also become victims of the system.

In short, these women do not receive support from their families, making it difficult to file any complaints. Even in rape cases, attempts are made to suppress it on the field. If a local villager commits the crime, identifying him becomes challenging. Often, medical examinations are delayed, preventing the collection of evidence. Their mental and financial state does not allow them to file police complaints.

They must return to their villages with their wages, making the safety of women negligible. Additionally, due to concerns about family honor, women are often reluctant to speak up. This situation opposes women’s basic rights to security and life, which is unfortunate.

Appointment of female officers in sugarcane fields

Just as sugar factories appoint supervisors to oversee work, the Women’s Sugarcane Workers Union demands that factories appoint a female officer for the safety of women.

The union suggests that each field should have a woman sugarcane worker, unable to perform heavy labor, appointed to assist the female officer, which would help in maintaining coordination between the victim and the officer.

Assistance on the field

Saying that sugarcane workers should file police complaints in cases of sexual harassment is easy, but women find it difficult to speak openly about the injustices they face. They fear beatings from their husbands or being dismissed by the overseer. Often, they are unaware of the injustice. They believe it is the way they are supposed to be treated. If they help other women, their character is questioned.

Sometimes, they worry about their debts. Women face various pressures. Therefore, they demand regular police patrols and helpline numbers in the fields. The presence of police can reduce incidents of sexual violence, and women can report any misconduct to the police. Additionally, if women have helpline numbers, they can seek help for themselves or others while keeping their identity confidential, according to Manisha Tokle, District Coordinator, Mahila Ustod Kamgar Sanghtana.

In this article, the original names have been changed to protect the identity of the victim.