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Suli is a thirteen year old girl that’s about to follow one of the two acceptable paths for women to take in India– that of a prostitute. She is going to sell her virginity, and then her body daily, to make money for her community. This poor community has built up customs to try to take the edge off– by having a non-wedding party after her virginity is sold to the highest bidder. After this, she will continue to sell her body until she’s considered undesirable, at which time she will hope to live off of any children she has had.
If this wasn’t sad enough– that the most a girl had to hope for in life was to be used by men like nothing more than another object– my heart groans when you read this:
The normal rate is 100 rupees (£1.30) but a virgin is sold to the highest bidder for anything over 20,000 rupees. If she is very pretty, the community would hope to get up to 40,000 rupees. For this, the man can have access to the girl for as long as he likes – several hours, days, or even weeks.
Here we read what a little girl and a woman is worth to them. It’s not millions, thousands, or even hundreds. A young, pure, innocent girl is worth £520 for a week of doing whatever he likes, as long as he likes.
What hits me hard is to think that I just bought a new PC for close to $700. Probably a little less than £520, considering the exchange rate, but I hope you see where I’m going.
We truly live in a land of plenty, but there are people– young women– in other countries that go crazy over something that we don’t have a problem with spending in a couple of minutes. I bought groceries last night and spent 1/5 of that. I put up a fence this month and spent 3 times that. And this teenage girl is going to give herself physically to a man she doesn’t know to make that.
It makes you heart cry out, wishing there were someone that would stand in the gap for these women– to provide for these communities so they wouldn’t have to do this kind of thing, to even make a difference in one of these ladies lives if you could. And to reach them with the Gospel of Christ to know that there is a better way to live.
So sad, and so shameful.
@Christine @ Serenity How?: All at once it makes you feel so humble that you have what you’ve been blessed with and remember that “but for the grace of God go I” and “man, what can I do to help” all at the same time.
You know, as sad as things are in India, things like that are happening all over the world. Can you imagine the sheer millions of people who don’t want to be in the sex industry, but feel like there’s no other way?
Check out my post at http://talmidah-b-yeshua.blogspot.com/2008/02/truth-about-porn.html.
AGs last blog post..Shout to the Lord
@AG: Of course you’re right, AG. I don’t believe that the majority of people are in the prostitution industry because of the money, the good hours, or the working conditions.
What got me in this particular example was the dollar value. There can be no price but on a person, IMHO, but even if there could it would be easier to understand the one that does it for millions vs. the one that does it for the price of a hamburger at McDonalds.
In either case, what can be done? Create a foundation a la Christian Children’s ministries except one to help keep girls out of prostitution? Send missionaries? Sending aid to government certainly does not work. Would these communities change if money was provided?