Six Filipino employees alleged that they are working in Geneva for Pakistan diplomats for more than 20 years without pay.

In a complaint to Geneva Public Prosecutor's Office, they said that they were promised by Pakistani mission to the UN of a decent life in Geneva, with a salary, a roof over their heads and payment of social insurance.

The Philippines citizens even struggled to raise the issue with local authorities as they were never heard.

Mirella Falco, head of the SIT workers union, told journalists in Geneva on Thursday that when they joined the reality was quite different as they were asked to work more than ten hours a week without pay in exchange for a legitimation card.

Legitimation card is a special card that diplomats give to their employees and that is issued by the Swiss mission.

After being exploited by them they even tried to find another work to earn enough money to survive.

In their letter to SIT, the employees have appealed to Justice from Minister Karin Keller-Sutter and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. They mentioned the abuses they had suffered and asked for help from Switzerland. The union is urging the authorities to take measures to end these practices, notably by strengthening the rules governing working conditions and residence permits in the diplomatic world.

“These offences are extremely serious,” said lawyer Céline Moreau, who is defending two of the women and hopes that investigations will be conducted in response to the complaints adding that they should not be underestimated. There is a suspicion of coercion, usury and even human trafficking.

Why they were silenced for last 20 years?

The workers never spoke about their atrocities as they were afraid of losing the job and losing their residence status.

“If they are dismissed, they have two months to find another diplomatic employer. If not, they have no choice but to leave or go underground," Falco explained.

After some of them tested positive for the coronavirus pandemic, they decided to come out of the shadows and testify openly on the RTS programme Mise au Point, taking the risk of confronting the diplomatic world and its privileges and not finding a job.

“It’s really very difficult for me to have been fired. I worked very hard for half my life for the Pakistani mission. They know that,” one of them testified.

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