Indian 'prostitute village' marries girls to end flesh trade

[Blue_Tires]

Print Font: +-PALANPUR, India — A village in western India hosted a mass wedding and engagement ceremony of 21 girls on Sunday aimed at breaking a tradition of prostitution which has for centuries exploited women of a poor, marginalized and once nomadic community in the region.

Hundreds of guests from surrounding villages and government officials gathered at the colorful event, which saw eight couples married and 13 others engaged in a huge marquee in Wadia village, 115 km (70 miles) west of Palanpur city in India's Gujarat state.

"Prostitution is a tradition which this community adopted for ages and it has been very normal for them. They did not think they were doing anything wrong. But it is uncivilized, indecent," said Vijay Bhatt, development officer for Banaskantha district, which Wadia village is part of.

"By marrying and engaging these girls we have been able to break this culture. Once a girl is married, she is out of the profession. Once she is even engaged, she is out of this nexus."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46697874#.T1-pnhEgcoE

[Generic Other]

1. I have never thought the two positions very far apart

but I am almost always corrected if I dare say so. Flesh trade. Interesting term. Like pink slime. Why are women allowed so few options?

[Nay]

2. Me, neither. But at least in marriage, she only has to boink one guy, but may well have to work

harder in marriage because she'll most likely be little more than a slave. It appalls me that women all over the world get shoved into one of 2 boxes - hooker or married drudge. It doesn't reflect well on men that they have made and continue to enforce such dreadful systems.

[Blue_Tires]

3. +1