In a small village of Madhya Pradesh, Shivpuri where one can get a wife on rent for a month to a year. This practice of buying and selling girls for rent is known as “Dhadicha.”
We can find several examples of how brutally women are treated even after centuries. Practice like this immediately signify how women have actively been sexually harassed and reduced to inanimate object of barter or commerce.
Most of us are already aware of at least one such market or custom around the globe where women are being sold and bought, such as the bride market in Bulgaria where girls aged 13 to 20 are sold as wives based on the criteria of virginity and aesthetics.
One such market is found in India, where a girl’s deal and rent are decided. It is located in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. When the deal is finalized by both parties, an agreement takes place where the whole process of renting these poor wives or women is written on the government official stamp paper worth Rs 10, 50, or 100.
It is mentioned on this stamp paper for how many days (as per money) will the woman stay with the rich man for a month, six months, or a year and then the girl is handed over to the other party. It is interesting to note that the buyer needs to marry the girl who is rented out in this shameful practice.
Once the duration of the agreement is over, the poor girl is sent back to the parents to be sold again to a new customer.
According to the reports, the market has some strict and obnoxious rules too. Younger the girls, the higher the price is demanded by the seller, which in most cases are their parents. If the girl is a virgin, aesthetically pleasing, has a fair skin tone and curvy body, the prices can be as high as approximately two lakhs or even more.
Therefore, to make these girls look more beautiful, their parents force them to take such specified drugs to increase their breast size and body muscles to attract more wealthy customers and fetch higher amounts when they are first sold.
Just like in the Molki system, in Dhadicha too, virgin girls aged 8 to 15 have more demand in the market. Whereas non-virgin girls are rented for nearly 15-25k per year.
Each day, such young girls are abused not by just one person but by multiple family members, but nobody can understand their pain or listen to their silent cries. According to some media reports, such evil practices are being carried out for decades.
The concerned authorities and the government are well aware of it, but the lack of action and efforts to stop such heinous crimes against women is unbelievable. However, some NGOs have taken the initiative in this direction.
In a fact, there are many reasons behind these evil practices where the parents have to sell their daughters for earning an extra amount of money. The significant reasons are poverty, unemployment, and ancient traditions.
Many people are considering these options because it is a good source of making lots of money quickly. The lack of education is also one of the major factors behind such practices.
This practice is not limited to India but has been reported in Africa as well. In several parts of African countries, a practice called Leblouh is followed. In Mauritania, such girls are married off as soon as they turn 8, and men often consider it a sign of their wealth.
These are a few stories from selected parts of the world. One can find many stories like this around the globe where a woman is treated like an object and greedy people only use them for monetary reasons or as a sexual object.
The question is- who is to blame for such horrendous practices against women? It is the government and the authorities for not taking any action, the people who participate in such crimes, or us women are to be blamed for this Rent Culture.
Such crimes need to be stopped immediately by taking action. The government should pass laws to criminalize such acts in the name of ancient customs. Most importantly, people, especially the young generation, need to be educated about their human rights.
