42 confirmed cases of diplomats trafficking humans
A report released by the United States General Accountability Office (GAO) states that it found 42 confirmed cases of abuse committed by Foreign diplomats who were protected by diplomatic immunity.
From the Results in Brief:
We identified 42 distinct A-3 and G-5 visa holders who alleged that they were abused by foreign diplomats with some level of immunity from 2000 through 2008, but the total number of alleged incidents is likely higher. The 42 alleged incidents we confirmed include those identified by federal agencies, NGOs, and legal sources, such as Westlaw. Ten of these alleged incidents resulted in federal human trafficking investigations, most of which remain open. In one instance, Justice determined through its investigation that, absent immunity, it would indict the foreign diplomat’s wife. However, the diplomat’s home government declined to waive the wife’s immunity; thus, Justice could not indict. The diplomat and his wife subsequently left the United States. The total number of alleged incidents of household worker abuse by foreign diplomats with some level of immunity is likely higher than the 42 distinct alleged incidents we have identified for four reasons: household workers’ fear of contacting law enforcement authorities, NGOs’ need to maintain client confidentiality, limited information on some allegations handled by the U.S. government, and federal agencies’ difficulties in tracking household worker abuse allegations and investigations involving foreign diplomats. For example, the Foreign Affairs Manual 6 states that several offices and bureaus within State will provide the Office of Protocol and the Office of the Legal Adviser with reports on all cases that come to their attention, but we found that these offices were not aware of all cases that had been handled by the department. In addition, law enforcement agencies were unable to search their case management databases for investigations involving foreign diplomats because these databases are not designed to track investigations in this manner.
