Dhaka, Oct. 21 -- Female sugarcane workers in India are facing mounting pressure to undergo hysterectomies to retain their livelihoods, as a punishing system of labour contracts leaves little room for menstrual pain, pregnancy, or other interruptions to work.

Travelling hundreds of kilometres from their home villages to harvest cane across Karnataka and Maharashtra, these women endure shifts of up to 14 hours for daily wages as low as Rs.400 (around $5), reports the Independent.

Under a contract system in which missed shifts carry financial penalties and workers impose fines when harvest quotas fall short, taking time off for menstrual pain or pregnancy can be ruinously expensive.

For some, surgical removal of the uterus has become the...