In a landmark ruling, a UK court has ordered the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pay compensation to a woman held in modern slavery by a UAE diplomat in London. It marks the first time a British court has required a foreign state to compensate a survivor for modern slavery committed by one of its diplomats on UK soil—a major step forward in holding states accountable.
Diplomatic immunity cannot mean impunity
In 2013, a young Filipino woman moved to the UK with UAE diplomat Salem Mohammed Sultan Aljaberi and his family. Once in London they took her passport. She was locked in the house unless accompanied by a family member. She had no internet access and no freedom. According to the judge, she worked more than 17 hours a day on average. She had no rest days, no lunch breaks and no time off—all clear indicators of modern slavery.
For 12 weeks, her employers forced her to work and paid her just over $500. They broke the law—and exploited the deep power imbalance that migrant domestic workers are often forced to endure.
The Guardian reports her solicitor, Zubier Yazdani of Deighton Pierce Glynn, said:
This is a welcome decision. It goes some way to providing accountability for the harm that my client suffered. Domestic workers in diplomatic households have been vulnerable to abuse for too long. Sending states should share responsibility where their diplomats exploit domestic workers.
Domestic workers frequently fall through regulatory gaps. Their workplaces are private homes, hidden from public view. In many countries, including the UK, domestic work remains undervalued and poorly protected—creating conditions where abuse can flourish unchecked.
A powerful judgement—and a warning
She escaped when someone accidentally left a door unlocked. Since then, doctors have diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse she endured. The trauma has shattered her ability to trust employers, and she now lives in constant fear that someone will exploit her again.
The high court has ordered the UAE to pay the survivor more than 3.5 million dollars. That amount represents compensation for her false imprisonment, injury to feelings, and personal injury. Further, the judge said part of the the award was “exemplary”—designed to punish, not just compensate.
The judge stated:
I accept that such an award is appropriate in a case in which Mr Aljaberi acted with a cynical disregard for the claimant’s rights and exploited the claimant for his own financial advantage.
Further, he shared that the compensation aimed to ameliorate the “wrongfulness of Mr. Aljaberi’s conduct.” In the court’s view, the withholding of her wages was “part of the servitude which was inflicted on her.” She was also thankfully granted leave to stay in the UK.
While this ruling is ground-breaking, the basic facts of this case are not unusual. Migrant domestic workers all over the world are remain at high risk of exploitation. Isolation, immigration dependency, confiscated passports and weak labor protections create the perfect conditions for modern slavery.
Under international law, every domestic worker has the right to a safe and healthy working environment. ILO Convention 189 guarantees minimum wage protections, clear employment terms, weekly rest and limits on in-kind payments. Yet only 37 countries have ratified it. The US, UK, Australia and many European countries have not.
Without strong laws and political will, diplomatic status, migration systems and private households will continue to shield exploitation. Domestic workers deserve the same rights as every other worker. Add your voice and call on your country to ratify these basic protections—and ensure no employer, diplomat or state can profit from abuse.
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