Saudi Elite Involved in Trafficking of Migrant Maids in Black Market

Saudi Arabia, particularly its wealthy citizens, is involved in the unlawful buying and selling of domestic workers, who are trafficked to the highest bidders in the kingdom.

According to an investigation by the UK-based newspaper, the Times, hundreds of maids from various countries are listed on Haraj.sa, which is Saudi Arabia’s biggest online marketplace.

Those maids are subsequently auctioned off to the highest bidder. Every day, dozens of migrant worker postings are published on the marketplace for wealthy individuals to buy or rent.

Moreover, Haraj’s app recorded over 2.5 million visits in 2021, which is more than Amazon or AliExpress in the UK. Despite being slammed by the UN’s Special Rapporteurs in 2020 for supporting modern slavery, the app is still available on the Apple and Google Play stores.

According to the Times, all sellers withhold their workers’ passports, and some even physically punish them if the workers speak up or protest.

One of the sellers, Noura, a housewife in Riyadh, listed her maid for £3,500. Noura revealed that she was selling her since she couldn’t care for her baby.

A Kenyan-based helpline for domestic workers in the Middle East, the Labor Laws Awareness Initiative, stated that it received information about Saudi sponsors selling or renting their maids every day without any official authorization. It further noted that hundreds of workers have complained to them of abuse as well.

Executive Director of a Saudi-based human rights organization, Mustafa Qadri, stated that tech giants are involved in supporting the abuse of these workers via the tech supply chain.

Speaking about the issue, Apple remarked, “We strictly prohibit the solicitation or promotion of illegal behavior, including human trafficking and child exploitation, in the App Store and across every part of our business. We take any accusations or claims around this behavior very seriously.”

Google, on the other hand, has refused to comment on the matter after the Times approached them.

Via The Times