Boy for Sale

Literally, there was a boy for sale this morning. Absolutely tragic.

While eating lunch today my host family explained to me that a drunk guy knocked on their door offering his son for sale (his son was standing right next to him). The son has no name, there's no official record of who he is or where he's from. He claims to be eleven years old but who knows if that's even correct. Obviously, my host family didn't buy him but took him in, shooed of the drunken dad, and gave the boy some lunch. While we were eating, the family was trying to figure out what to do with him. They came to a consensus that first and foremost they had to report it to the town judge just in case his mother was looking for him and to ensure that the mom couldn't place blame on the family for kidnapping or something crazy like that. Then they decided if in fact the family does not want the kid anymore that they'd let him live on the farm and work for food and clothing until he is old enough to decide what he wants to do.

This story impacted me for a myriad of reasons but more than anything it's heartbreaking to think that a human being would sell their son so they could have money to buy more alcohol. It's disgusting in fact. I also wanted to share because it's crazy that this is a reality here. Never in my life had I witnessed someone selling his son or daughter but I guess it's a reality where I live now. Poverty just hit home.