Diplomatic immunity has limits in domestic worker abuse cases — UK, Swiss courts

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

In the United Kingdom and Switzerland, three court cases — all filed by Filipino migrant domestic workers — are redefining the scope of diplomatic immunity. The International Labor Organization marks June 16 as International Domestic Workers’ Day.

Reporting for this project was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center

LONDON/GENEVA – For a long time, diplomatic immunity shielded foreign envoys from prosecution in cases of migrant domestic worker abuse and exploitation. Three landmark court rulings in the United Kingdom (UK) and Switzerland are setting limits on diplomatic immunity in labor disputes that involve migrant domestic workers.

2026: A UK court ordered the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pay a domestic worker GBP 260,000 (approximately P21 million) in damages for exploitation at the hands of one of its envoys while he was based in the UK