INTRODUCTION
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure involving the removal of a woman’s uterus. It is generally performed due to serious conditions such as uterine fibroids, cancer, endometriosis, excessive bleeding or chronic pelvic pain. It is an irreversible procedure and can have long-term physical and psychological consequences, particularly when performed at a young age. Therefore, such surgeries require informed consent and must be a genuine medical necessity.
In recent years, the issues of hysterectomies among women sugarcane workers in the Beed district of Maharashtra have raised serious concerns regarding exploitation, health care ethics, and women’s rights. Beed is a major sugarcane-producing region that depends heavily on seasonal migrant labour, where women work under harsh conditions and intense economic pressure.
Reports revealed an unexpected number of hysterectomies among these women workers, many of whom allegedly underwent uterus removal surgeries relatively at a younger age. It raises legal and constitutional questions relating to bodily autonomy, labour exploitation, informed consent and reproductive rights. This blog analyses in detail whether such practices amount to a violation of women workers’ rights and dignity.
WHAT IS HYSTERECTOMY?
A hysterectomy is a surgery performed to remove the uterus of a woman.[1] It basically means to remove the womb of a woman from where menstruation occurs and a baby grows. When the uterus is removed, the menstrual cycle stops completely, and the women cannot become pregnant.
Hysterectomy is a permanent surgery, which is why doctors don’t suggest this remedy often; they only suggest this when other medical treatments fail. It is usually done only when serious problems such as fibroids, cancer, heavy bleeding or long-term pelvic pain cannot be treated by medicine and simpler treatments. Depending upon the disease, women’s age and health conditions.
The following organs may be removed and may not be removed:
- Uterus: It is the main organ in the female body, so it is removed
- Cervix: It is the lower part of the uterus, so it may or may not be removed depending on the situation;
- Ovaries: the ovaries produce hormones; hence, they may be preserved or removed; and
- Fallopian Tubes: The fallopian tubes carry eggs to the uterus, and they are often removed with the ovaries.
Doctors don’t suggest a hysterectomy in the first place; they always begin with simpler medical treatments. The main goal of a hysterectomy is to remove the cause of illness completely, stop ongoing pain completely, prevent serious disease from spreading, and improve the quality of life for a woman.
There are 04 Types of Hysterectomy: Partial Hysterectomy, Total Hysterectomy, Radical Hysterectomy, and Hysterectomy with Oophorectomy. It takes a period of 3 months to recover fully, and the healing should not be rushed.
UNDERSTANDING THE BEED DISTRICT’S SUGARCANE LABOUR SYSTEM
In India, many labourers and farmers are forced to migrate from several districts of Marathawada, primarily from the Beed district, to western Maharashtra and Karnataka to work on sugarcane farms during the harvesting season from October till May.[2] Labourers work in pairs as husband and wife, recruited and supervised by the mukadams, acting as a link between the factory and the sugarcane cutting team. A typical working day is 12 to 13 hours long, with women devoting additional time performing unpaid domestic labour such as cooking, fetching clean water and childcare.
Each migrant couple is paid an advance of Rs 50,000 or Rs 100,000 as their whole Majdoori (“Salary”). It is accounted for as Rs 250-300 per day, and a fine will be imposed for Khada (“Leave”), ranging from Rs 500 to 1000 for each day of missed work. The migration takes place for a temporary period of 7 to 8 months; during this period, the labourers reside in small huts, cane fields or sugar mills. Since these are temporary shelters, there is a lack of toilets, clean drinking water and proper sanitation facilities, and it impacts the health of labourers, especially women.
During menstruation, many women are compelled to use cloth instead of sanitary napkins due to financial difficulties and limited availability of menstrual hygiene products. The lack of clean water and proper sanitation makes it difficult to maintain hygiene, increasing the risk of urinary infection, reproductive health disorders, or other gynaecological complications. In addition to these challenges, the rising incidence of hysterectomies is also driven by a deeply rooted belief that the removal of the uterus is not an outcome of coercion. Instead, it is a consequence of socio-economic pressure that compels women to prioritise uninterrupted labour and productivity, often at the cost of their long-term physical and mental well-being.
THE HYSTERECTOMY CRISIS: CHOICE OR COMPULSION?
According to surveys conducted by local NGOs in 2019, nearly 36% of women sugarcane workers in the Beed district had undergone hysterectomies, a figure significantly higher than the national average of approximately 3%.[3] Under pressure from activists, the local authorities agreed to investigate the issue and found more than 13,000 sugarcane women workers in the district, and some of the women were under the age of 25, and they had had their wombs removed over the previous decade.
When the authorities asked them the reason behind such a huge number of women performing the surgery, they said girls at the age of 12 are married off and accompany their husbands in labour work. These young women have to work through all stages of reproductive stress. Seema Kulkarni, a spokesperson working for an organisation of female farmworkers’ rights, said in one of her interviews taken by the local authorities that “They’re not allowed a single day off – not even during menstruation, pregnancy or miscarriage. It’s bonded labour in every sense. They’re not only just losing their daily wages if they take a break, but they also have to pay the labour contractor.”
The women also reported that the contractors or the mukadams don’t force women to undergo hysterectomies. However, the harsh realities of the sugarcane labour system, such as the fear of wage loss, financial penalties for absenteeism or loss of employment opportunities, etc., create an environment where women are compelled to make such decisions.
This raises a crucial question: can a decision truly be considered a free choice when economic necessity leaves little room for any other option? In such circumstances, hysterectomy appears to be less a matter of choice and more a form of compulsion arising from systemic inequalities and labour exploitation.
MEASURES UNDERTAKEN BY THE MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT
The government of Maharashtra has regularly conducted health rights awareness campaigns at village and PHC levels to educate women on reproductive health, risks of unnecessary hysterectomy surgeries, menstrual hygiene and family planning methods.[4] Moreover, health check-ups were organised for sugarcane labourers twice a year before migration (August–October) and after return from migration (March–May). This includes screening for anaemia, reproductive tract infections, menstrual disorders, non-communicable diseases, and cervical cancer (Pap smear and biopsy where indicated).
Counselling and treatment as per Standard Treatment Protocols have been provided. The Women’s Health Task Force has been established at the village level for continuous health education and grievance handling. A total of 50,158 female migrant sugarcane workers in Beed district have availed benefits under the health check-up initiative conducted during the post-harvest period of the sugarcane season, i.e., from March 2025 to May 2025, as a result of the measures undertaken.
CONCLUSION
The hysterectomy crisis in Beed district highlights the connection between labour exploitation, gender inequality, poverty and inadequate healthcare access. While hysterectomies are necessary in certain medical cases, the unusually high number of such surgeries among women sugarcane workers raises serious concern about informed consent and reproductive autonomy.
The blog highlights the fact that even though the contractors or mukadams don’t force women to undergo the surgery, economic pressure created by the labour system often leaves them with few practical choices. The measures taken by the government are a positive step. However, lasting change requires strong labour protection laws, healthcare regulations, and safeguarding women’s dignity and bodily autonomy.
Author(s) Name: Mahek Mohd Rafik Shaikh (Rizvi College of Law)
References:
[1] ‘What’s a Hysterectomy and When Is It Medically Necessary?’ (Gleneagles Hospitals) <https://www.gleneagleshospitals.co.in/blogs/obstetrics-gynaecology/whats-a-hysterectomy-and-when-is-it-medically-necessary> accessed 01 May 2026
[2] Neymat Chadha, ‘CONSTRUCTING THE FEMALE LABOURING BODY: A CASE STUDY OF BEED DISTRICT OF MAHARASHTRA’ (Social Policy Research Foundation, 2019) <https://sprf.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Constructing-the-Female-Labouring-Body.pdf> accessed 01 May 2026
[3] Deepa Parent and Ruchi Kumar, ‘Outrage as sugar cane workers in India still being ‘pushed’ into having hysterectomies’ The Guardian (12 June 2025) <https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/12/outrage-as-sugar-cane-workers-in-india-still-being-pushed-into-having-hysterectomies> accessed 01 May 2026
[4] ‘RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1278: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS OF FEMALE MIGRANT SUGARCANE WORKERS’ (Digital Sansad) <https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/268/AU1278_HnPBls.pdf?source=pqars> accessed 01 May 2026