Pictures of deformed children are appearing more and more often on Facebook, along with text that suggests that the person in the picture is themselves asking for “Amen” comments.
As an example, here is an article about which we are currently receiving inquiries:

Since Facebook automatically translates the post for German-speaking users, it is now also spreading in German-speaking countries.
“My mother said no one would share the photo ? ? because I'm incompetent and look so ugly ? ? can I get your amen here ? ? if they have no shame about me? ? ? ❤️
Help me share..”
Where does the picture come from?
We reported on the image back in February 2016 when it was misused for such purposes. It was in 2011 by Paul Fusco . The boy's name is Sasha and he was four and a half years old at the time the photo was taken.
2011 marked the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The pictures were taken in an orphanage in Belarus and show children who suffered damage from nuclear radiation.
The amen and the lust for liking
It is not known how the boy is doing today. However, the picture is over seven years old . So how likely is it that a boy from Belarus would want a photo of him shared along with a claim that his mother said he was ugly?
How likely is he to solicit amen comments? How pointless are Amen comments?
Roughly translated, Amen means “So be it”, the meaning is much deeper rooted, usually it is used at the end of a prayer. Strictly speaking, saying Amen means agreeing with the mother that the boy is incompetent and ugly.
And what's the point of all this now? Did an “Amen” comment help the boy in any way? Does anyone seriously think this kid surfs Facebook and enjoys all the comments? What exactly is the purpose of this?
Both sides will be satisfied!
The creator of the post is happy about the many likes and comments. For creators of such posts, “likes” are a kind of confirmation; it releases happiness hormones in them. People don't shy away from stealing pictures from anywhere on the internet; there doesn't seem to be any awareness of injustice. What counts is likes as confirmation. In addition, pages with many followers can be offered for sale profitably on the dark web at a later date.
And the users ? They make it easy for themselves:
they comment with “Amen” and have a clear conscience. They believe that by saying “Amen” they have somehow helped the boy without thinking about how pointless this process actually is on Facebook.
Sure, it takes a lot more effort to donate a few euros to an aid organization for victims of a disaster, which would really help the children!
It’s much easier to type “Amen”. Then you don't have to think any further and can continue scrolling with a clear conscience. You've done something! “Amen” was written! The boy can definitely buy himself something nice! Likes and comments are the new world currency!
Let's summarize
There is no point, absolutely no point in liking and commenting on such posts. You're not helping anyone with this. The boy won't even know that his image is being used for this purpose.
You are only making the creator of such posts happy, who is completely uninterested in the fate of the people in the pictures they post.
You can read this fact check in English here
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

