Diplomats and abuse — chipping at the shield of immunity
Domestic workers who were mistreated by diplomats are often denied justice due to their abusers enjoying diplomatic immunity. But court rulings in the UK and
Domestic workers who were mistreated by diplomats are often denied justice due to their abusers enjoying diplomatic immunity. But court rulings in the UK and Switzerland have paved the way for change. Reporting for this project was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center. For 12 years, Malaya*, a Filipino domestic worker, felt like her life was dictated by updates in the legal case against her former employer, an Emirati diplomat. She had been working for him in the United Arab Emirates before moving with the foreign envoy and his family to London in 2013. Court documents indicate Malaya was imprisoned for 89 days in what was described as slave-like conditions. Once she had escaped, filing a case turned out to be difficult — Malaya faced years of bureaucratic delays and dismissal because her employer was protected by diplomatic immunity. Earlier this year, a UK court ordered the UAE government to pay Malaya £270,000 (€312,290, $362,440) in damages for false imprisonment, unpaid wages and post-traumatic stress disorder. "I really want to shout to the whole world that we did it. That's me. I never gave up. I can say it's a victory," a tearful Malaya told DW. "We need to continue fighting, because I'm not fighting just for myself, but for everyone. I don't want anyone to experience the same horrible experience," she added. The UAE Embassy in London did not respond to emails requesting a comment. Courts put limits on diplomatic immunity Malaya's case is one among others that signal a wider legal shift on diplomatic immunity.
In 2022, UK courts ruled that diplomats cannot invoke immunity in cases linked to modern slavery or trafficking, while a 2025 Swiss ruling similarly opened the door for domestic worker exploitation claims to be examined as regular employer-employee labor disputes. "There is clear hope for justice for all these vulnerable employees without whom diplomats relieved of the tasks of daily life would not be able to accomplish their missions," Mirella Falco, head of the SIT workers' union in Geneva, told DW. The tough reality of live-in domestic work To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Cora Espanto and her two children worked for a Saudi diplomat in the Netherlands in 2012. After a meticulously planned escape in the wee hours of the morning, Espanto found out she could not sue her diplomat employer because of his immunity. Espanto is now a cultural mediator for an Amsterdam-based rights group, Fairwork. She has been assisting other migrant workers experiencing abuse, many of whom are exploited by diplomats. "The problem of abusive diplomats persists. There should be more court rulings indicating that diplomatic immunity does not apply — especially in cases of domestic workers," Espanto told DW. Abusers hiding behind Vienna Convention Diplomatic immunity, a legal protection accorded to foreign envoys under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, is intended to protect diplomats from civil and criminal suits so they can freely perform their duties. However, some diplomats have used the loophole to escape prosecution altogether.
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