Online sale of domestic helpers in Kuwait using apps and social media platforms came to light last week following an investigative report by a team at BBC Arabic News. The report alleged that an online ‘slave market’ was going on in Kuwait through the use of apps made available through Apple Store and Google Play, as well as on the Facebook-owned Instagram.
Authorities in Kuwait are reported to have responded swiftly to the news item by summoning the ‘slave-sellers’ and ordered them to immediately take down their sites. The owners were also asked to sign a legal commitment promising to no longer participate in such activity. The names of the site owners were not revealed, but one wonders why they were not arrested and deported for human trafficking.
Google and Apple said they were working with app developers to prevent illegal activity on their platforms.Instagram said it had also taken action since being contacted by the BBC. It said it had removed further content across Facebook and Instagram, and would prevent the creation of new accounts designed to be used for the online slave market.
Deputy Director-General of the Public Authority for Manpower, Dr. Mubarak Al-Azmi, said they were investigating the woman featured in the BBC report who sold a 16-year-old girl from Guinea via an app. A police officer, featured in the report, is also said to be under investigation by the authorities. He added that arrests and compensation for the victims were possible outcomes of the action.
Affirming that the Authority is coordinating with the Ministry of Interior and General Department of Cybercrimes to set up a mechanism for arresting those who post advertisements of this kind, adding that a number of people responsible for such advertisements on social media have been referred to the General Department for Criminal Investigations.
Speaking on the subject, Kuwaiti human rights activist Adel Al-Qallaf said some citizens violate the domestic labor law that was enforced in 2015 in different ways, such as by confiscating the domestic workers’ passports, forcing them to work overtime without payment and preventing them to take weekend breaks. He added that some sponsors also assign the workers to do certain tasks that are not part of their contract, such as forcing them to wash their cars and taking care of their gardens.
