Afghan parents are selling their children to feed family members after a four-year drought wiped away their harvest and forced them from their homes in the western city of Herat, according to the New York Daily News.
More than 275,000 people were displaced by the drought, said the UN.
The dry spell - which has lasted four years - has devastated the region's agriculture, forcing families to choose between their children and sustenance, CNN reports.
A woman named Mamareen, who lost both her husband and home, felt compelled to sell her daughter for financial gain.
She traded her daughter for $3,000 from a man named Najmuddin, who purchased the girl for his 10-year-old son, Sher Agha, according to the report.
"I fled my village with my three children because of severe drought," she told CNN. "I came here thinking that I will receive some assistance, but I got nothing. To avoid starvation among my children, I gave my daughter to a man for about $3,000, but have only got $70 so far. I had no money, no food and no breadwinner - my husband was also killed," she said.
She says it was her last resort.
"Who would sell a piece of her heart unless they really have to?"
Najmuddin considers his deed an act of good will.
"Her family didn't have anything to eat. They were hungry," he told CNN. "I know I am also poor, but I am sure I can pay it off slowly… in two to three years."
