Analyzing Forced Hysterectomies in Underlying Neoliberal Policies and Health Inequities Under the Migration-Development Regime

This paper analyzes neoliberal policies and health disparities by investigating the phenomenon of 'coerced hysterectomies' among female migrant sugarcane laborers in Maharashtra, India. The study uses the Migration-Development Regime (MDR) paradigm to examine how state-driven neoliberal development policies, which emphasize economic growth and labor exploitation, intensify the vulnerability of marginalized workers (Agarwala, 2022). These policies prioritize agricultural productivity and labor efficiency over the health and rights of workers, especially women, who are coerced into medical interventions, such as hysterectomies, to avert interruptions caused by menstruation and pregnancy (Bennet, 1992).The research utilizes qualitative methodologies, encompassing policy analysis, interviews with impacted women as well as ethnographic fieldnotes (50% of the in-depth interviews have been completed, with 20 of approx. 40 persons sample size interviewed) from labor camps to elucidate the circumstances resulting in these 'forced' hysterectomies. A subsequent data collection phase is scheduled for October to November 2024. These practices exemplify a development model that commodifies female labor, undermining women reproductive health for the sake of economic efficiency (NHRC & Sarojini N.B, 2006). The research contends that India's neoliberal employment and migration framework sustains these disparities, viewing female bodies as commodities while neglecting reproductive health. The MDR approach examines how state policies prioritizing labor mobility and production lead to coercive hysterectomies, framing women's reproductive capacity as an impediment to productivity. The report advocates for a reassessment of development plans to avert the compromise of health rights for economic benefits. The research specifically emphasizes how migration regulations perpetuate patriarchal perspectives that objectify women's bodies, exacerbating systemic gender discrimination and health inequities. The results highlight the necessity for legislative changes to guarantee that economic development does not compromise the rights and health of marginalized workers positioning the analysis within the ambit of the Migration Development Regime Framework.