JOIN USMurder-suicide of endosulfan victims in Kerala brings to fore forgotten tragedy
Endosulfan, the now-banned pesticide, claimed two more victims in Kerala earlier this week. Unlike when the endosulfan poisoning was first revealed and helped understand the mysterious deaths and a high percentage of babies being in the region with severe birth defects, this time agrochemical was more insidious.
Victims of endosulfan poisoning are, even after the pesticide being banned all over the world since 2011, still born with either deformities, or mental or physical disorders, or other severe health complications. And this abnormality is what makes society shun them.
And the recent incident of a mother killing her 28-year-old daughter and victim of endosulfan poisoning, then committing suicide is not the first such case. Over the past two decades, since the long-term endosulfan pesticide poisoning came to be known, there have been many such incidents of families and caretakers of endosulfan victims taking the extreme step. A few years ago, a couple killed their son, another victim of the agrochemical, and committed suicide. There was also the case of another mother-child suicide some time ago: the son and the mother had taken poison to end their lives.
The reason behind this is said to be a lack of adequate and appropriate social support for these victims. Leader of the endosulfan victims' forum, Ambalathara Kunhikrishnan, believes that a huge difficulty for the parents of endosulfan victims is their inability to go to work and leave their children unattended. Other parents are worried over the future of their endosulfan-affected children after the formers’ passing.
Kunhikrishnan says there should be a system put in place by the government where there are frequent visits from health experts and counsellors to ensure welfare of the endosulfan victims.
There are several ‘Buds schools’ for children with deformities, but only children up to the age of 18 are accommodated there. For those above 18, there are only three rehabilitation centres.
Kasargod district collector Bhandari Swagat Ranveerchand says there is no process at the district level that helps for regularly enquiring after the welfare of endosulfan victims. However, he says, there could be the health department and local bodies that could be doing it through ASHA workers.
He also admits there have been a few complaints, and an enquiry revealed that officials of local bodies and health department were visiting the families.
Another government official says there is scope to set up more rehabilitation centres where existing resources like government-run old age homes in the district can be utilised for these endosulfan victims.