Amicus Brief filed with Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

The Human Trafficking Legal Center, represented by pro bono counsel, Dechert LLP, filed an amicus brief in support of the petitioners in a domestic worker trafficking case pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The brief argues that the United States has failed to take all possible measures to prevent trafficking of domestic workers by diplomats under the A-3/G-5 visa program, and has failed to hold diplomatic traffickers accountable. The Center’s amicus brief advocates for three policy changes to prevent these abuses and to provide adequate remedies for domestic workers: the United States must make A-3/G-5 visas portable from employer to employer; the United States must prosecute more forced labor cases, particularly forced labor perpetuated by diplomats; and the United States should follow the lead of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and reinterpret the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to preclude diplomatic immunity as a defense to civil claims for human trafficking.