Paper short abstract:

The key findings of the study suggest that women lack awareness of child spacing capabilities (57%) and the unmet need for family planning is comparatively higher. More than half of the women face domestic violence that curtails their capabilities to avail reproductive healthcare services. It also reduces the immediate wellbeing of their children.

Paper long abstract:

Scheduled Tribes (STs) of India are characterized by distinct cultures and a close relationship with the land they inhabit.

Tribal people make up to 5% of the world’s population but 15% of such people are living in poverty. They face deprivations caused by social, economic, and political exclusion. In India displacement due to development projects is pushing

the tribals out of their habitat dispossessing them of their traditional forest resources. Women and children in displacement suffer more than the male counterpart especially in the process of moving to a new setup. The objective of this paper to study the reproductive healthcare capabilities of displaced tribal women in India. In this paper, the author underlines the capabilities of tribal women in post displacement settings. The study was conducted in three wildlife sanctuaries in the Indian States of Odisha and Chhattisgarh namely Simlipal, Chandaka Dampara, and Achankamar. Sequential explanatory study design was employed for collecting the data. A total of 194 displaced tribal women within the reproductive age group of 15–49 years were surveyed, and Focus Group Discussion was conducted among the displaced women. Women who had given birth in the last five years were selected using a purposive sampling method.

Key findings of the study suggest that women lack awareness of child spacing capabilities (57%) and the unmet need for family planning is comparatively higher. More than half of the women face domestic violence that curtails their capabilities to avail reproductive healthcare services. It also reduces the immediate wellbeing of their children. Women in this study lack control over the decision on reproductive healthcare. Due to this, women lack social and political freedom. The Government of India has taken fewer initiatives to promote effective reproductive healthcare services. Also, there is limited awareness in the rehabilitation colonies on protection from domestic violence.

The displaced women in this study can evaluate their current lifestyle and can suggest alternatives to improve the quality of their lives. Displaced women lack control over decisions on reproductive healthcare especially for choosing the place for delivery which affects their capability. The decision on Antenatal care and Postnatal care by mothers-in-law and traditional birth attendant restrict many women in making their own choices for reproductive health. Women facing domestic violence not only reduce their capabilities but also affect the children’s immediate wellbeing. It also limits women’s social and political freedom. The comparison of national data, NFHS 4 of the STs key health indicators with the health indicators of displaced tribals also shows lower reproductive health status. The Government of India has taken fewer initiatives to promote effective reproductive healthcare services.

Key words- Tribal, reproductive health, capabilities, Nussbaum, Odisha, Chhattisgarh