New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that reports the banishing of new mothers and menstruating women to distant and isolated huts in rural Karnataka, a PIB press release stated.
The report, which was recently published in a local media, states that a 19-year-old woman who had recently given birth was sent to a hut in the Begadahallili area of Tumakuru district in Karnataka. The hut did not have a bed or toilet. The banishing of the young woman was alleged to be in accordance with a traditional practice followed in the area, where new mothers and menstruating women are required to stay in a separate hut. The practice is not just prevalent in rural Karnataka but also in several other states.
This practice poses a serious threat to the human rights of innocent women and young babies. The NHRC has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Karnataka, calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.
The report is expected to provide data on the places where such practices are still prevalent and the steps that are being taken or proposed to be taken by the government to address the issue. The NHRC has also sought directions to the government to conduct thorough inspections of the area and ensure that the inhumane practice of ‘Gaokor/ Kurma’ is eradicated once and for all.
The NHRC has also taken suo motu cognizance of a similar grievance raised by a complaint in 2013 concerning the women belonging to Scheduled Tribes in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra. In response to the plea, the State Government of Maharashtra submitted a comprehensive report that assured that it was making sincere efforts to eradicate this inhuman practice of ‘Gaokor/ Kurma’. The present report is expected to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation and suggest suitable solutions to the problem.
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