Goods of (f) luxury: fertile women excluded from the Indian temple

There are many paradoxes in the world. One of these is the fact that in India, in the temple of the god of fertility, all are admitted except women of childbearing age. We are talking about the Sabarimala Temple, located in the state of Kerala and dedicated to the god Ayyappan. The reason behind the veto consists in the fact that it is precisely in this temple that, according to the myth, the phase of brahamcharya of the divinity takes place, a period of celibacy. In this way, the entry of fertile women into the sanctuary would have the nefarious consequence of leading the god Ayyappan into temptation.

In 2018, there was a first attempt by the Supreme Court to issue a sentence that put an end to the veto in stark contrast to freedom of worship and Article 25 of the Constitution on gender equality. The change on paper did not turn into reality, so much so that the women who tried to access it, mainly activists, found themselves faced with resistance and, at times, with the threats of the more orthodox devotees who fear, in this case, of unleash the wrath of the god. The question does not end there. On January 13, the doors of the court will reopen again in which a college of 9 members selected by the Supreme Court will meet to re-discuss the 2018 resolution.

Among the most dangerous countries for women

India is the fourth most dangerous country in the world for women and the first among the nations that are part of the G20. According to a survey conducted by Thomson Reuters, which gives us a picture of the situation that is anything but rosy. Sexual violence, acid scarring, harassment, low literacy and discrimination. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2017, 33,658 cases of rape were recorded, 90 rapes reported every day, without considering all those who are not reported due to the fear that the victims have of suffering a form of stigmatization by society. Without considering all the girls forced to marry at a minor age. According to data collected by the UN, Save the Children and Terre des Hommes on the occasion of the 2016 World Day in Defense of Girls, India is the country with the highest number of child brides, more than 24.5 million girls. , they were forced to marry before they turned 18.

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Menstruation: when the woman is considered impure

Another taboo that Indian women have to contend with is that of menstruation. The menstrual cycle is not recognized as a natural and physiological phenomenon in women's life, but as a stigma. In more orthodox families, during menstruation, women are forced into solitary confinement for three days, so as to avoid intimate contact with their husbands.In addition, everything in the house must be separated, such as the dishes, to avoid "contamination" by the menstruating woman who will not even be able to access the kitchen, considered a sacred place inside the dwelling. After the third day, the women are subjected to a symbolic washing aimed at purifying them as "dirty". This treatment is the result of a profound ignorance on the subject, an ignorance paid for at a high price, especially by younger women. Many studies in this regard, in fact, reveal that about 23% of girls stop going to school after their first menstruation, helping to increase the already high rate of female school dropouts.