Daughter sold to pay for eye op
2007-02-16 17:08
Karachi - A Pakistani man sold his 10-year-old daughter for $500 to pay for his eye operation, a police official in the southern province of Sindh said on Friday.
The father Noor Mohammad had agreed to hand his daughter over to a fellow villager, Gul Mohammad Kalohi, once she reached puberty, according to Abdul Hadi, district police officer for Badin, about 250km east of Karachi.
"It is a shameful incident and has taken place," said Hadi.
"We were informed about this incident from a complaint made by a relative of the father."
Police have completed their investigation of the case, but no charges have been laid yet as they were still determining which district had jurisdiction as Kolai village, near Tando Bagho town, lay on a boundary.
Zia Awan, a noted rights lawyer, said under the children's protection law in Sindh the father could be sentenced to a year in prison.
Such cases are relatively common in rural parts of Pakistan, where feudal and tribal customs prevail. Men either sell or exchange their daughters to pay off debts or settle disputes.
- Reuters