This archive report was first published on 6 November 2019.
Published on November 6, 2019, a BBC Africa Eye report exposed the shocking reality of human trafficking and modern slavery in the Middle East, where maids are being sold through apps on the Google and Apple stores.
According to the report, Google and Apple have been approving and providing apps used to promote human trafficking and modern slavery, with some of the trade being carried out on Facebook-owned Instagram.
Urmila Bhoola, the UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, stated, 'What they are doing is promoting an online slave market. If Google, Apple, Facebook or any other companies are hosting apps like these, they have to be held accountable.'
The investigation found that children as young as 16 years old were being offered for sale in Kuwait on a popular commodity app called 4Sale, with the cost of buying the girl being about Ksh.392,502.
The sellers advised the undercover agents to confiscate the women's passports, confine them to the house, deny them any time off, and give them little or no access to a phone.
Google and Apple responded to the allegations, stating that they were working with app developers to prevent illegal activity, and that they strictly prohibit the solicitation or promotion of illegal behavior, including human trafficking and child exploitation.
Kuwaiti authorities have officially summoned the owners of several social media accounts used to sell domestic workers as slaves.
