India: Mass Marriage Planned In Village Of Prostitutes
By UCA News
Come March 11 and 15 girls of a village in Gujarat would be wedded off in a mass marriage ceremony.
What is unique in this ceremony is that all the brides belong to a village of prostitutes and for the first time the girls not be forced into flesh trade.
The simple act of tying the knot will change the course of Wadia village’s history.
Invitations have been sent out and 1,500-odd guests are expected to come.
The excitement is palpable in the village, but this has not gone down well with the touts as young girls fetch a higher price when first introduced to the trade.
Fearing they will lose the girls, they have made some threat calls to the organizers.
Sharda Bhati, local guardian of the girls and leader of an NGO, which has got the girls and their families ready for marriage, has filed a complaint with the Tharad police station.
“Apparently, the touts don’t want the girls to seek a better life for themselves ,” says Mittal Patel, co-ordinator of the NGO.
“They fear this would lead to the business of prostitution going bust,” he added.
The prostitutes belong to the Sarania community, mainly from Rajasthan and Saurashtra.
The NGO convinced boys from the community to marry the girls by building trust among them.
Seven girls above 18 years of age and eight girls who are younger will take part in the mass marriage.
This is commendable since most families are loathe to get a girl from Wadia as daughters-in-law as real identity of their fathers is not known.
Wadia has a population of 750 people of which 100-odd women are believed to be involved in prostitution since pre-Independence days.
The men of the families often live off their women’s income, pimping clients.
Source: UCAN India
