"The God of Death Takes Half of Our Children": Health of Women and Children in the Sundarbans Islands

Abstract

Grassroots level health care workers provided insights into rural women's health concerns at a program development workshop held at Sundarban Islands in West Bengal, India. This report describes these narratives and identifies strategies for potential intervention plans. The narratives suggest layers of disenfranchisement compounded by gender inequality and geographic instability.

Political ecology of climate change in Sundarbans, India: Understanding well‐being, social vulnerabilities, and community perception

“…In addition to this, community interactions (Biswas, 2013) have also revealed the prevalence of few health care beliefs practiced among them which could be a serious public health hazard upon women.…”

“…In Sundarbans, life satisfaction was found to be highly associated with material wealth and ecosystem services. However, the most important factor determining the well‐being status of this place is its geographical location contributing to “social and economic isolation” (Biswas, 2013). The socio‐economic vulnerability in Sundarbans differs across socio‐demographic features.…”

“…Women and children all are the worst sufferers. The existing social fabric makes it difficult for girls to complete schooling and imposes the urgency of early marriage (Biswas, 2013). Early marriages have resulted in a higher incidence of high‐risk births among teenagers compounded by the fear of poor healthcare accessibility, antenatal services, and low maternal and child nutrition.…”

“…As discussed earlier, the geographic positionality involves a big concern to the communities inhabiting in the southern fringes. Limited mode of transport, occasional ferry services and the exhausting distance to the public facilities makes it difficult for women to seek services pre and post‐pregnancy (Biswas, 2013). Underpaid ASHAs fail to cover the remote distances at a regular basis to cater to their personal needs.…”

“…Given the gendered division of labor even in Sundarbans, women there have been dealing with significant impacts from the poor wage market, forced child‐care demands and low ownership rights (Dasgupta et al., 2021). In addition to this, community interactions (Biswas, 2013) have also revealed the prevalence of few health care beliefs practiced among them which could be a serious public health hazard upon women. Incidence of stringent dowry exchange, early marriages, gender preference at birth, stigma against institutional delivery and gender‐based violence all contribute to the poor well‐being of women in this region.…”