Kuwaiti authorities say they have officially summoned the owners of several social media accounts used to sell domestic workers as slaves.

Axar.az reports citing BBC.

A BBC News Arabic investigation found online slave marketson apps provided and made available by Google and Apple, including Facebook-owned Instagram.

Women were offered for sale as workers via hashtags such as "maids for transfer" or "maids for sale".

Authorities say those involved have been ordered to take down their ads.

They have also been compelled to sign a legal commitment, promising no longer to participate in this activity.

Instagram said it had also taken action since it was 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.

Many of the most widely used accounts for buying and selling domestic workers appear to have stopped their activity.