Mass Wedding Aims to Save 'Village of Prostitutes'

Young Indian women destined to be sex workers head down aisle instead
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 12, 2012 1:47 AM CDT
Mass Wedding Aims to Saves India Sex Workers
Newly married couples pose after a mass marriage in the village of Vadia.   (Getty Images)

A human rights organization yesterday held a mass wedding for young women in an Indian village where all the females are supposed to become sex workers. Eight young brides over the age of 18 were married to local men, and 12 underage girls were engaged at the event, reports Agence France Presse. Some 3,000 people turned out to watch the ceremonies at Vadia, known as the "village of prostitutes," where women have worked in the sex trade for generations. Once a girl is engaged or married, she can't be forced into prostitution, said a spokesman for the group that arranged the weddings and engagements. “This is a historic event which is going to bring big social change in the lives of the women of Vadia," said an official who presided over the weddings. (More India stories.)

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