Untraceable fathers and increasing cases of teenage pregnancies in the Zhemgang dzongkhag village of Bhutan is now becoming a problem of great concern for people here. This coupled with increasing number of women getting affected by sexually transmitted diseases has sent waves of shock through this community.

The mothers of all these children, young girls no older than 15 years old. When forced to reveal the identity of the fathers, civil servants topped the lists followed by businessmen.

Of the 18,000 people who live in this small village, 65 percent are women. Most of the men have left the  village in search of a better life in the cities. With villagers here living much below the national average income of Nu 40 a person a day, dzongkhag is one of the poorest villages in Bhutan. 

It is a known custom that visitors are well treated by the traditional community. Officials on tour enjoy the evenings of songs and dances and drinks and are known to take advantage of the free social environment. The cash soera given by some officials is also welcomed by the relatively poor families.

Government officials are highly respected with most villagers. A family is honoured to host the officials and young women are easily impressed by them. Some of them even hoping for a glamorous marriage. Young girls are easily duped and lured by the officials and they accept physical relationships hoping to become the housewife of a civil servant.

The high female population in the rural areas and the absence of motor roads means that rural women, mostly teenagers, walk four or five days to the road head or to the dzongkhag headquarters to buy essential commodities and other work. Once in town the male folk take advantage.

"I have suffered because of my innocence and ignorance. With an illegitimate child to look after, nobody has asked my hand to marriage", said a mother of three-year-old illegitimate child.

Under the law, the amendment of the Marriage Act in 1996 has an alimony provision of Nu. 30,000 and it requires fathers to pay 20 percent of their monthly income as child support until the child turns 18. However, considering the number of illegitimate children in this small population, there is little chance that every child and mother will their due right. [Kuensel]