2023-08-29
MANILA - “Immunity & Impunity: How Diplomats Get Away with Exploiting Domestic Workers” is a multi-country, multimedia investigative series that examines how diplomats exploit their foreign domestic workers and escape prosecution because of diplomatic immunity. It also reveals the complicity of sending countries in protecting diplomats implicated in domestic trafficking and exploitation.
Foreign diplomats and employees of international organizations are getting away with exploiting their domestic workers because of their diplomatic immunity status. Under the Vienna Convention, diplomatic immunity protects diplomats and employees of international organizations from being sued, arrested, or detained while in their receiving country.
In addition to field reporting across Europe and the Philippines, the report series will use digital forensics and open-source intelligence techniques to gather open-source data and expose the extent of exploitation of household domestic staff.
This investigative report series will be published on Rappler and Al Jazeera-Europe.
©Nicolas Dupraz/Al Jazeera
Team members
Mentor
ID
MSU/2022/047Grant
ONLINE
- Four Filipinas sue diplomat employers in Switzerland for slavery, Al Jazeera English, 24 May 2023;
- For many abused migrant domestic workers, the only way out is to flee, Rappler, 29/08/2023;
- How diplomats who traffick, exploit domestic workers get away, Rappler, 30/08/2023;
- EXPLAINER: What is diplomatic immunity and what does it have to do with migrant domestic work?, Rappler, 30/08/2023;
- When diplomats are traffickers, migrant domestic workers are enslaved, Rappler, 31/08/2023;
- At home, and still no justice for migrant domestic workers, Rappler, 01/09/2023;
- WATCH: How diplomats use diplomatic immunity to get away with domestic worker exploitation, Rappler, 06/09/2023;
- Report shows abuse of domestic workers by diplomats, Deutsche Welle, 19/09/2023.
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