14 DAY TRIAL // In the Hindu civilization, women are not that priced. The gendercide of the female embryos have reached hallucinating levels in India, where the sex ratio at birth is already 118 boys: 100 girls in the capital Delhi (normal number is 103:100). To marry off a girl, the family must pay $ 14,000 dowry, too much for a poor population.
And in the villages in southern and central India, in over 300 districts, the tradition of devadasis, literally slaves of the goddess, still persists for thousands of years, especially amongst some ethnic groups like the Banjaras.
Since childhood, the girls are given by their parents to serve Yellama - the goddess of fertility. At the temple to Yellama women dance and praise the goddess. The practice of dedicating young girls as devadasis has been outlawed for over 50 years, but this did not stop it. Anti-slavery campaigners counted the number of devadasis to at least 25,000 in the state of Karnataka alone.
"Being devadasis means we are slaves of the goddess. We have to visit this temple. We wear necklaces of pearls to show we are bound to Yellama. We give blessings and perform her rituals," said Imla, a devadasi in her 40s, swathed in a pink and yellow sari.
When girls dedicated to Yellama reach puberty, they are forced to sacrifice their virginity to an older man. The rest is a life of sexual slavery, and they turn into sanctified prostitutes. The money earned by devadasis is collected by their parents and brothers who act as pimps for their daughters and sisters. "My parents didn't have any sons, so there was nobody to earn the family a living. Instead they turned me into a whore. I don't even remember when I started because I was so young. My parents thought at least they'd get some money from me." said Imla.
These girls have the life decided at birth, as they will never manage to marry and found a family. The devadasis tradition comes into family: the grandmother, mother and sisters are/were devadasis, too. The sexual activity of a devadasi starts at about 12-13 years old, and usually they lose their virginity with an older man. Usually the eldest daughter of the family is introduced into prostitution, with bizarre fanfare. The mother dresses up the daughter for her first client while the father negotiates the best price for her virginity.
"My parents dressed me as if for marriage. When the first man arrived I thought he was going to marry me, but he slept with me and then never came back. I realized this was now my trade. Every night I was sold to whoever paid the most." recalled Shoba, a 20 years old devadasi.
Yellama is seen as a powerful force and many think that giving girls to Yellama will bring good fortune on a family, but they also save for a dowry, and the daughter turns into a means to earn money and a living. Moreover, by sacrificing a daughter's life, many families can get rich.
The number of young girls being dedicated to Yemalla seems to be decreasing, but numbers are hard to estimate as the ceremonies are illegal and take place in secret. Since the bizarre tradition is unregulated by authorities, over 90 % of these pre-teen prostitutes become pregnant. Many others are infected with sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS.
Although communities practicing family-based prostitution outwardly revere their women as they are the ones that bring money into the family, less beautiful women are often tortured and discriminated because they cannot ask for good prices from their clients. "I can't get out of the system, even if I say I'm not a devadasi any more nobody will come forward to marry me. I keep telling other people not to make their daughters devadasis, you are abused, it's a horrible life." said Shoba.
It's clear, women already involved in this "business"cannot escape, and the strong faith ensures that there will always be a devadasi slave available.