Woman In Telangana Rescued From Being Converted Into A Jogini , A Religious Sex Slave. When Will Such Practices End?
Before I am branded an anti-nationalist for sharing my strong sentiment, I will go ahead and make it clear that I love my country. But like the saying goes, ‘It is the ones you love the most, that also get under your skin’. So while I am amply proud of our heritage and rich customs, I am also sometimes completely baffled by it. We simply cannot turn a blind eye to the malpractices and exploitation that is also done in the name of following religion and practicing faith. Often at the expense of women, because we’re more disposable than eco-friendly dinner plates at this point. And one such practice that still prevails as one of society’s biggest evils, is that of jogini.
Recently, a woman from Telangana was rescued before she was made a jogini, which is basically a religious sex slave. An illegal practice where a woman, usually from a marginalised Dalit-Bahujan community is married off to a deity, under the pretext of being dedicated to god, whereas in reality they are exploited sexually, as they are stripped of any agency over their bodies and used by men in the village for sexual pleasure and perversions.
The woman, who was rescued by district administration almost 10 days ago, was found from a tip given by an activist who has been working against this inhuman practice. Bodhan Tahsildar, Mohammad Gaffar spoke on the matter and said, “Ten days ago, we received a tip-off from activists working against the jogini system that the girl’s mother wanted to make her a jogini. After learning about this, the RDO, police and other officials, rescued the woman. We offered her temporary shelter at a home and counselled both the mother and daughter.”
25-year-old Telangana woman rescued from being forced into ‘Jogini’ system.
Jogini is an illegal practice, where women are turned into sex slaves by getting them “married to a deity.” https://t.co/qamffsKwPe— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) October 31, 2020
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The woman’s mother apparently had herself been a jogini, and was now pushing her daughter to be one, so that she is not married off to any other man, and stays at home while supporting the family. To imagine that a mother would push her own child, down this disgusting and exploitative path for personal gains is as distressing as the practice itself.
Devadasi System: Caste Dictated-Temple prostitution continued. Sad!
25-year-old Telangana woman rescued from being forced into ‘Jogini’ system | The News Minute https://t.co/TWovP2dwop
— Lokesh (@lokesh_169) November 1, 2020
Gaffar continued to share, “We told the mother that we would never hand over the daughter until she drops the idea of converting her into a Jogini. After counselling and persuasion from activists and members of her own community, the mother agreed to get her married to a man from their own community.” The woman who belonged to a scheduled caste, got married in the presence of officials on Friday.
As far as the practice is however concerned, even though this jogini tradition, originally adopted from a tradition of devdasi, was abolished in 1988, many places like in Mahabubnagar, Adilabad, Medak, Warangal and Nizamabad, this practice still goes on. It is not uncommon and women are often fooled into converting to a jogini for better rainfall or avoid an epidemic, anything goes and despite it being illegal, clearly these communities are above the law.
In the name of devotion, women are sold as religious slaves, and it is now that a stricter check needs to be kept in places where such practices are likely to go on. Despite authorities looking into the matter, it is the grave illiteracy, superstition and poverty that ultimate forces such practices into continuation. But here is hoping that women do get rescued and the word against such sexual slavery under the guise of joginis or devdasis comes to a screeching halt.
