Lisa Johnson-Firth discussed the mission and work of her organization to provide direct services and advocacy support to exploited and enslaved domestic workers from Asia, Africa and Latin America who worked in the Washington, DC area. She said that many of her clients work for employees of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, various embassies and other international organizations. A significant number enter the United States on A-3 visas (hired by diplomats), G-5 visas (hired by international organizations) or B-1 visas (hired by other foreigners or US citizens).

Because an immigrant’s status is tied to the employer through the visa, there is a strong dependent relationship of the immigrant on the employer making the immigrant particularly vulnerable to abuse, Johnson-Firth said. Employers seem to have an abuse hand book that includes the threat of dismissal and deportation to control their domestic workers. To minimize the leverage of employers over immigrant domestic workers, Johnson-Firth recommend the following: increased public awareness of the issue, legal reform supporting immigrant domestic workers, and increased funding for legal and social service providers assisting immigrant domestic workers.