An investigation by Reuters in partnership with NBC News has uncovered an underground world of "re-homing" where parents give away their unwanted children to strangers, sometimes after placing ads online. "Re-homing" is a term typically used by owners seeking to get rid of pets, and posts on online bulletin boards for both practices look strikingly similar. “Born in October of 2000 - this handsome boy, ‘Rick’ was placed from India a year ago and is obedient and eager to please,” one ad for a child read. The practice has little governmental oversight. Tennessee woman Nora Gateley told NBC News that she was given away to new parents at age 14 and lived in a "nightmarish" rural home in with 17 other kids. “’Get out and go dig your own grave,” Gateley, now 26, said her new mother told her. “’I don’t care if you die. Nobody will find you. You were not even here in the first place.”

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