Lydia Mugambe—former UN judge, Ugandan High Court judge, and Oxford law student—has been jailed for modern slavery offenses. Despite her background in human rights protection, Mugambe used fraud, deception, and abuse of power to traffic a young woman from Uganda to Oxfordshire and force her into domestic slavery. Her case is a stark reminder that slavery often hides in plain sight and underscores the urgent need to remain vigilant and to push governments to better protect domestic workers from exploitation.

Lived in fear

Police discovered a young woman working in Mugambe’s home as an unpaid maid and nanny, leading to a sentence of six years and four months in prison, reports the BBC. Superintendent Ben Clark, of Thames Valley Police, said there was “no doubt” that Mugambe was aware of her crimes. Clark added:

“Modern slavery is an under reported crime and I hope that the bravery of the victim in this case encourages other victims of modern slavery to come forward,”

During the hearing, a written statement from the victim revealed that she had lived in “almost constant fear.” Despite this, the judge noted that Mugambe “showed absolutely no remorse” and had even tried to place the blame on the victim.

Today, the young woman fears returning home because of Mugambe’s influential position in Uganda.

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