Can you imagine being forced into prostitution by your parents as soon as you hit puberty? In this article from CNN News, Indian actor, Anil Kapoor, discusses how girls are obligated to join brothels because it is “tradition”. In the Bharatpur District of Rajasthan state in Western India, this began because of religious reasons and later turned into greed. It began with the devdadsi (servant of God) culture where girls would sing and dance for upperclassmen. Once girls hit puberty they have a rite of passage ceremony called “Nathni Utarna” (which means ‘taking off the nose ring’) and they are now ready to be sent into the sex trade.
We can see that this global issue is due to extreme poverty. Although there are ways to make money through farming and other jobs, it is not enough. By parents sending their daughter into the sex trade they have one less mouth to feed, and also gain money.
Kapoor believes that education is the answer to many of the world’s problems. There is a charity called ‘Plan India’ that is putting in efforts to end this heinous tradition. They have helped girls find new ways to earn money and have built schools to ensure that girls have the opportunity to get an education. And also older women that have been forced into prostitution are trying to break the cycle and stop the tradition, by talking to girls and telling them that they should not fall into this trap. It is unfortunate that men see nothing wrong with it, and brothers and fathers encourage their sister or daughter to go. I do not understand how this tradition is related to religion at all. Forcing girls to be prostitutes at such a young age is a global problem and should be stopped. I am glad to know that the Plan India charity is progressing towards ending it.
September 23, 2011 11:58 am
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