Family auctions off child bride on Facebook

Facebook is facing backlash after the social network was used by a family in South Sudan to auction off a 17-year-old girl, even though it is illegal in South Sudan to be married before age 18.

The 17-year-old girl from South Sudan was auctioned as a bride on Facebook in what has been condemned as a “barbaric use of technology”.

Human rights campaigners fear that the auction, which netted 530 cows, three Toyota Land Cruisers and $10,000 for the girl’s parents, will tempt other families to use social media to try to get more money and material gain.

Facebook deleted the auction but only after the young girl had been married off as the tenth wife of a wealthy businessman.

George Otim, of the children’s rights charity Plan International, said: “This barbaric use of technology is reminiscent of latter-day slave markets. That a girl could be sold for marriage on the world’s biggest social networking site is beyond belief.”

Nyalong Ngong Deng’s parents sold her for 530 cows, three Toyota Land Cruisers and $10,000

My view: Her parents are to blame for allowing the auction, even some government ministers were among the bidders, it's sad but when you're poor in Africa with no help from the government, people do desperate things to survive, but in this case it's pure greed. The girl's parents are extremely greedy. Just like the case of Nigerian pastor Omotosho, who is on trial in South Africa for allegedly molesting under age girls. The girls greedy parents allowed them to live in Omotosho's posh house because of money, I don't get how any normal parent could allow their under age child to live with a stranger because they want to learn music from their spiritual father, the girls parents should be prosecuted as well not just Omotosho, who denied all the allegations and said he was only helping the girls.