Facebook has been criticised for failing to remove a viral post promoting an auction of a child bride in South Sudan, which eventually led to the payment of the largest dowry ever recorded in the civil war-torn country.
The highest bidder was a man three times the age of the 17-year-old girl who was auctioned. At least four other men in Eastern Lakes state competed, including the region’s deputy governor.
Philips Anyang Ngong, a human rights lawyer tried to stop the bidding.
“She has been reduced to a mere commodity,” he said, calling it “the biggest test of child abuse, trafficking and auctioning of a human being”. Everyone involved should be held accountable".
The girl, named as Nyalong, was married before Facebook took the post down. She became the man’s ninth wife. Photos posted on Facebook show her sitting beside the groom, wearing a lavish dress and staring at the floor.
The groom, who did not respond to requests for comment, paid a final price of 500 cows, two luxury cars, $10,000, two bikes, a boat and some mobile phones.
The bidding war caused local and international outrage.
The auction was advertised but not carried out on the site, but it took several days for Facebook to remove the post that first promoted the auction. After it was taken down, other posts “glorifying” the auction remained. , said George Otim, country director for Plan International South Sudan.
“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 in this day and age is beyond belief,” said a spokesperson for a human rights organization.
Child marriage is illegal in South Sudan, but the government says it can’t regulate communities’ cultural norms, especially in remote areas.
In a statement released this week, the National Alliance For Women Lawyers in South Sudan called upon officials to comply with the government’s plan to end child marriage by 2030. Ending the practice includes putting a stop to the auctioning of girls.
South Sudan’s anti-human trafficking chief called the case reminiscent of others he has seen across the country, in which girls are forced or tricked into marriage after being told they are going to live with relatives and go to school instead.
“It is clear that some human-trafficking practices are hidden in our culture,” John Mading said.
Facebook did not reply to a request for comment.
Source.
SearchVoatBot ago
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NOMOCHOMO ago
https://voat.co/v/pizzagate/2840647
I posted this story 2 weeks ago on Nov 8th, only to be attacked for it by a Mod who tagged you and the other Mods @think-
https://voat.co/v/pizzagate/2840647/14911817
In any case, I'll again repost the additional info pertinent to this story.
Facebook partners with phone companies to hook 3rd world countries on FB. By providing Facebook without using data, most 3rd world countries think the internet is the walled garden of Facebook
So not only are they liable for the post, they are making slave trading and bride selling more economically viable by expanding the number of participants who can see that it's happening partake in the economy.
Crensch ago
Nobody cares about your alts, esoteric. Keep LARPing like you're doing something, I'm sure someone will fall into your trap at some point.
NOMOCHOMO ago
A. Still not Esoteric.
B. Is think-'s post relevant to Pizzagate, or has it "provided nothing to the community here"?
C. I'm not trapping anyone @Crensch, you are tripping over your own piles of bullshit.
Crensch ago
I don't believe you. I haven't looked. Nobody believes you.
NOMOCHOMO ago
IDC who you believe. Truth is Truth regardless of your opinion.
But maybe you should spend more time moderating, and less time attacking and slandering.
Interesting phrasing from somebody who accuses others of operating alts. How many accounts do you speak for?