For India's "village of prostitutes," a mass wedding offers hope

20.02.2012

An Indian "village of prostitutes" in Gujarat is about to get its first mass wedding -- as a local non-profit helps 15 young girls find grooms and avoid the family business.

Nope, it's not Reality TV. For decades, girls from Wadia village have been forced into prostitution because their mothers were known to earn their livings from the world's oldest profession, and therefore they weren't viewed as suitable for marriage. Pimps sought them out, hoping to make a quick buck from the sale of their virginity, and fathers, brothers, nephews and uncles stood by the highway flagging down truckdrivers

Prostitution is illegal in India but police often turn a blind eye to the trade. There are around 1.2 million sex workers in the country, according to the National AIDS Control Organisation.