Facebook Page Is Selling Syrian Refugee Women as Brides

Syrian women refugees are up for sale on a Facebook page, and all it takes is a few thousand euros to buy one, according to Arab media.

The page “Syrians up for marriage,” received more than 18, 000 likes in less than a week since its May 16 launch, but has since been taken down, according to Al Hayat.

Human rights groups contested the page displaying pictures of potential Syrian brides, along with a description of their chastity and ability to perform household chores.

“Across the Arab world, of all ages and religions – share this page!” the page said, according to a Lebanese news site.

To inquire, men could send an email to initiate a transaction, according to the Kafa group, which has worked to condemn the site since its launch.

Potential buyers are mostly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen and Bahrain.

The Syrian humanitarian crisis has created a significant refugee problem pouring out into neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.

There are at least 2.7 million registered Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations, with more than 1 million in Lebanon alone. Experts say the total number is significantly higher.

While it appears the women on this Facebook page had voluntarily put themselves up for sale, there have been previous reports that Syrian women refugees are being exploited.  Some of these women are as young as 12 years old.

After the page was shut down, another similar one was created under a different name along with a cover photo showing a Koranic verse, implying that these marriages were acceptable by Islam.