Most of the unmarried mothers were tribal women and a recent survey had found more than 200 such cases in Wayanad itself, committee chairman Prof Meenakshi Thampan told a press conference here after presenting the tenth report of the commitee in the assembly.

``The condition of advasis who cannot even determine the paternity of their children is very pathetic'', Thampan said.

Even if complaints were lodged, adivasis were denied justice because the guilty in most cases happened to be someone from the higher echelons of the society, the committee maintained.

Citing an example, the committee said Madhi an unmarried adivasi girl belonging to the `Kattunayka' tribe at Sultanbattery in Wayanad was at her wits end to determine the father of her infant from a possible four culprits.

The committee suggested thatthe Government should take the initiative to have the DNA test done and fix the responsbility for the outrage on Madhi.

The committee observed that after the DNA testing came into being the paternity of three children had been fixed and compensation awarded to the unmarried mothers.

DNA testing itself had become an effective deterrent to the outrages committed on the adivasis.

On its part the state government should take the responsibility for the DNA testing like Andhra Pradesh had done, committee suggested.

A permanent mechanism should be evolved to bring awareness among the adivasis of Manathavady, Kooman Kolly, Attapadi, Agali and Panathady areas so that they did not fall into the trap of those exploiting them. An adivasi development committee including MLAs should be formed and it must meet every month to study and suggest remedies to the problems faced by the tribals, Thampan said.

The committee also found fault with the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe development department which feignedtotal ignorance about an unmarried mother named Madhi.

Even the home department told the committee that Madhi had not complained that she had been raped. The stand of the home department was unjust and cruel and aimed at giving the benefit of doubt to the culprits.

Madhi had submitted her complaint to the committee on August 25, 1992. Despite the committee's intervention and seven years of various investigations, Madhi's sufferings continued, the committee lamented.