In many Gulf countries, workers from Asian and African countries can obtain visas under sponsorship system known as "kafala". The system ties immigrants, who often work as live-in maids, to their employers for the duration of their stay. Human rights groups say the system gives workers very little protection against mistreatment. Most of the working arrangements are done through recruitment agencies, but a black market thas developed on social media has allowed some employees and workers to circumvent the system and in effect, domestic servants are being bought and sold online.
"The main reason social media recruitment is attractive to employers is going through a recruitment agency can be very expensive," says Vani Saraswathi of Migrant Rights, an advocacy group based in Qatar. "For a contract period, you have to pay anything from $2,500 to $5,000 (£2,000 to £4,000)... if you go through social media, you don't have to pay any of this."
There are dozens of Facebook groups online with thousands of members putting women looking for work as maids in touch with potential employers in the Gulf.
Last month, Qatar adopted a new law giving workers new rights including at least one day off a week and paid annual leave. Activists say the bigger challenge is implementing these new guidelines, getting rid of loopholes and adding more provisions so that new laws meet international standards.
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