Teenage Girl Forced to Marry Boyfriend's Dad for Dowry of a Pig

A New Zealand teenage girl has been forced to marry her boyfriend's father by her own parents for the dowry of a mere pig. After the her boyfriend's father presented the teenager's family with a pig and a few mats she was, against her will, handed over to the man to be his wife.

The girl's parents, her mother of Tongan descent and 'father,' a man described as her stepfather, are being charged with detaining their own daughter. Furthermore, the parents are also being accused of forcing the girl to marry and have intercourse with her 'husband.'

On her wedding night the 17-year-old girl ran away to boyfriend, also her husband's son, after which she was allegedly attacked and "taken back to the matrimonial home to perform her duties as a wife."

In a statement the girl's mother said, "my family's problems are gone ... I don't want to say anything."

Scheduled to reappear in court later this month, the girl's parents face six charges with the most serious carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.