There has been a huge uproar on social media after a Syrian national based in Lebanon put a Nigerian maid up for sale.
The man who has been arrested placed the advert on Facebook, sparking anger among some Nigerians who spotted it.
The advert was deleted but angry Nigerians had already taken a screen shot of the advertisement.
In the said ads the passport photo of the 30-year-old domestic worker was listed with the maid going for $1,000.
“Domestic worker from Nigeria for sale with new legal documents. She’s 30-years-old, she’s very active and very clean. Price: $1,000,” he wrote in Arabic.
Hey tweeps this is a Nigerian girl that was trafficked to Lebanon as an housemaid, as seen in the picture a particular Arab man is putting her up for sale at the rate of $1k pls kindly tag @abikedabiri and other law makers who can help in finding this lady and bring her back.
? pic.twitter.com/tA6hPmU2dM— Kristy???? (@Kristy36679703) April 22, 2020
Victim rescued
The woman in her early thirties from the city of Ibadan in eastern Nigeria has been rescued and now “safe”.
Lebanon’s General Security Directorate said in a statement that “As a result of investigations, the man who posted the advert was arrested.
He is a Syrian national (Wael Jerro), and he is being interrogated by the judicial body concerned.”
The statement added that the action by the Syrian national “falls under human trafficking, and thus makes the publisher subject to persecution.”
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Lebanese companies that have employed foreign nationals have now been warned against advertising workers for sale.
The Gulf nation is well known for the abuse of migrant workers with two workers die per week according to estimates. Most deaths are through suicide or while attempting to escape.
In Lebanon domestic workers are legally bound to their employers through the country’s notorious kafala system.
The system only allows such workers to end their contracts with the consent of employers.
Last month the body of 23-year-old Ghanaian woman was found days after she pleaded for help via social media posts.
Source: Africafeeds.com
