Keypoints:
- Lydia Mugambe convicted under UK Modern Slavery Act
- Victim forced into unpaid work during Oxford studies
- Mugambe held prestigious UN judicial appointment
A UGANDAN High Court judge who also served on the United Nations judicial roster has been sentenced to more than six years in a British prison for exploiting a young woman as an unpaid domestic worker while studying law at the University of Oxford.
Lydia Mugambe, 50, was found guilty of four offences at Oxford Crown Court, including two under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act. On Friday, she was sentenced to six years and four months in prison.
The court heard that Mugambe forced the victim—who cannot be named for legal reasons—to work without pay, performing domestic chores and childcare duties while Mugambe pursued a doctoral degree in law at Oxford. The offences took place during her stay in the UK, where she conspired to flout immigration laws and abused the woman’s vulnerability.
Exploitation behind closed doors
Prosecutors said Mugambe used deception to bring the woman into the country, exploiting her limited understanding of British employment rights and misleading her about the nature of her stay in the UK.
‘She exploited and abused her victim, taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights to properly paid employment and deceiving her as to the purpose of her coming to the UK,’ the prosecution said in court.
The judge was convicted in March of conspiring to breach immigration laws, facilitating travel with intent to exploit, forced labour, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness. The case came to light after the victim, who described feeling ‘lonely’ and ‘stuck’, managed to report her situation.
Mugambe denied the charges, claiming she had ‘always’ treated the woman with love and had never coerced her into unpaid work. But the jury found her guilty on all counts.
International credentials tarnished
The conviction has sent shockwaves through Uganda’s judiciary and international legal circles. Mugambe, who served as a High Court judge in Uganda, was also appointed to the United Nations judicial roster on 26 May 2023, a platform used by the UN to identify candidates for temporary and permanent judicial assignments globally.
Her case has added to growing concerns about modern slavery and exploitation, especially involving domestic workers brought into the UK under false pretences.
A broader crisis
The sentencing also casts light on wider patterns of forced labour, particularly affecting African women and migrant workers globally. According to a recent report cited by TRT Afrika, Africa remains home to at least 72 million child labour victims—the highest concentration worldwide—underscoring the continent’s vulnerability to exploitation.
While Mugambe’s case centred on adult exploitation, advocates say it highlights the urgent need for stronger protections for migrant workers, improved enforcement of anti-slavery laws, and greater scrutiny of those in positions of power.
The UK’s Modern Slavery Act, under which Mugambe was prosecuted, was introduced in 2015 to crack down on forced labour, trafficking, and exploitation. However, rights groups argue that more needs to be done to prevent such abuses from taking place within elite academic and diplomatic circles.
With Mugambe now behind bars, legal observers expect further scrutiny over how she secured a UN judicial role despite what the court called a sustained and deliberate abuse of another human being’s rights.
The victim, who is now receiving support, told the court that her experience had left deep psychological scars—but that justice had given her hope for a fresh start.
