And you think our economy is bad...

From Reuters:

Pair Auction Child on Internet for $1.18

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German woman and a male friend face prosecution for human trafficking after they put the woman's daughter up for auction on the Internet at a starting price of one euro ($1.18), authorities said on Wednesday.

A photograph of the 8-year-old child was posted by the man, from the Bavarian town of Traunstein, who later told police he had placed the offer to test the online auction system.

The senior state prosecutor investigating the case said both the man, 35, and mother, 41, faced charges of attempted child trafficking.

"Three people made offers for the child and the bidding price reached 25.50 euros before the item was removed after between three to four hours by the company's security," he said.

Like other countries in western Europe, Germany has seen a surge in human trafficking in recent years as well as a number of high-profile child pornography cases often connected with the Internet.