Diplomats posted in Europe turn thousands of women into domestic slaves, according to a report to be presented today by Fine Gael Senator Mr John Connor to the Council of Europe.
The report says diplomats and civil servants are confident their immunity will protect them from legal consequences, often travelling with their own domestic help because it is customary for host nations to issue such employees with special visas.
"Some of these people are literally treated as domestic baggage," Mr Connor told The Irish Times. "Too often, immunity is a synonym for impunity."
So far he has investigated practices in Belgium, France, Spain, Austria and Italy, and will shortly turn his attention to Ireland.
"We particularly targeted those countries because the problem is most evident there, but Ireland is not immune from investigation."
Mr Connor is the Irish representative on the Council of Europe's Committee on Equal Status. The report, to be presented at a meeting in Paris, is in draft form. He expects to submit a final report in April.
According to the draft, more than four million women are sold in the world each year. Many - mainly from India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines - are victims of domestic slavery.
Mr Connor says the issue is regarded as "a particularly bad phenomenon" in France among diplomats from sub-Saharan countries. He says the Vienna Convention, which provides diplomatic immunity, should be modified so human rights can be respected. He explains that within the statutes of most of the Council of Europe's 41 memberstates, there is no definition of slavery.
Switzerland, he says, could serve as an example. Foreigners wishing to work at an embassy or consulate there can enter the country only if they have an employment contract acceptable under Swiss law. "The principle is simple: no visa without an employment contract," he explains.
Belgium uses laws against mistreating foreigners to limit domestic slavery. However, the report points out that most victims there are working for diplomats in Brussels.
Most cases in Austria involve embassy and consular staff, although the country has laws against slavery and human trade. In France, about a dozen people have been convicted of "reducing vulnerable people to unpaid work" and of "imposing working or housing conditions that are beneath human dignity".
The report proposes creating an indemnity fund and a "humanitarian visa" for victims, as well as drawing up a European charter on domestic employment based on the au pair charter.