In a groundbreaking ruling, the High Court has ordered the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pay over £260,000 in damages to a victim of human trafficking who was exploited by one of its diplomats in London. The case marks the first time a foreign state has been held liable for domestic servitude by its envoy on UK soil.
The 35-year-old Filipino woman was brought to London in 2013 to work for diplomat Salem Mohammed Sultan Aljaberi and his family. According to the court’s findings, she was subjected to a “case of modern slavery” – locked in their home for 89 days, forced to work an average of over 17 hours per day caring for the children and performing other domestic duties, and denied rest days, lunch breaks or time off.
The judge described how the family did not permit the woman to leave the flat alone, and when they were away, she was locked inside. She was fed inadequately, verbally abused and threatened. Her passport was withheld, she was denied internet access, and not given a UK SIM card for months. Crucially, she had no family, friends or support network in the UK.
While she received some payment, it was well below the minimum wage at the time – just £400 for the 12 weeks she was with the family in London before escaping. In 2014, the Home Office recognised her as a victim of human trafficking, and in 2015 she was granted leave to remain in the UK.
The court awarded her £262,292.76 in damages for false imprisonment, injury to feelings and personal injury due to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. The judge stated that part of this sum represented “exemplary” damages, which are punitive rather than compensatory, due to the “wrongfulness of Mr Aljaberi’s conduct” and his “cynical disregard” for the woman’s rights.
Solicitor Zubier Yazdani of Deighton Pierce Glynn, who represented the woman, welcomed the decision, saying it “goes some way to providing accountability for the harm that my client suffered.” He added that domestic workers in diplomatic households have been “vulnerable to abuse for too long,” and that sending states should share responsibility where their diplomats exploit such workers.
The UAE government did not attend the court proceedings. The UAE embassy was approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.
