The auction of a South Sudanese girl for marriage on Facebook has the likelihood to encourage other families to use social media as a medium to demand bigger dowries (lobola) for their daughters, activists said, urging authorities and the social networking giant to take much tougher action.
A picture of the 17-year-old, who is from South Sudan’s Eastern Lakes state, was posted on Facebook on October 25. The post said five men were participating in the auction for her dowry.
The highest bidder, a wealthy businessman, reportedly gave the girl’s father more than 500 cows, three luxury cars and $10,000 (R144,000) as dowry – and the teenager’s marriage took place on November 3, according to major girls’ rights charity Plan International.
The legal age of marriage is 18, however, more than 50 percent of South Sudanese girls are wed before their 18th birthday, says the United Nations children’s agency Unicef.
High levels of poverty, conflict, instability, low levels of literacy and gender gaps in education force young girls to turn to marriage as a way out for themselves and their families.
Many South Sudanese communities see child marriage as a way to protect girls from pre-marital sex and unwanted pregnancies, or to exchange them for dowry of resources such as cattle. Child rights groups welcomed Facebook’s action in taking down the post, but said it had been public for several days and ultimately resulted in the illegal marriage of a minor.
This could create a dangerous precedent whereby other families may seek to use social media sites to get greater dowries for their daughters, said charity Equality Now.
Image: Supplied
Facebook auction of South Sudan child bride could inspire .
-Times Live
