Washington City Paper: Contents for May. 12

Capital Slaves
The privileged lifestyle enjoyed by diplomats and other foreigners working in Washington doesn't include their servants, some of whom must flee to escape a private hell.

Cover Story

The brick town house, with its postage-stamp-size yard and aluminum front door, blends inconspicuously into Northern Virginia's suburban sprawl. But inside there are spicy smells, high-pitched and accented chatter, and an unusual cluster of dark-haired young women. They are all runaway nannies and housekeepers; most are natives of the Philippines. Over the past year, this house has served as a clandestine way-station on a modern-day Underground Railroad.

The owner, who goes by the name “Rose,” is part of an informal network of people involved in helping foreign servants escape illegal, exploitative, and sometimes abusive employment situations. Rose gives them a place to stay, counseling, and a sense of community. Scattered around Washington are other such stations, mainly churches and social-service centers, that have helped hundreds—perhaps thousands—of international domestics escape bad situations, find new employment, get legal help, and apply for new visas.

Most of the runaways work for diplomats or executives with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organization of American States (OAS), Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), or other international agencies; on occasion, the employer is American. All of these servants enter the U.S. legally, under a special State Department program that permits international bureaucrats and diplomats to “import” household help. Last year, the State Department issued 3,400 visas for these domestics; 875, or one quarter, were for Philippine servants.... Continued

Issue of May. 12 - 18, 1995

News and Features

Capital Slaves
The privileged lifestyle enjoyed by diplomats and other foreigners working in Washington doesn't include their servants, some of whom must flee to escape a private hell.
Cover Story By Martha Honey
Educational IOU's
Public-School Employees Owe Big Money in Nonresident Tuition
The City By Jonetta Rose Barras
NPR Not P.C.?
Veteran Reporter Sues Network for Sexual Discrimination
The City By Clara Jeffery
Precious Bane
Gennifer Flowers Wows the Capitol Hill Crowd
The City By Matt Labash
Hops Head
The City By Greg Kitsock
It'll Never Work, Sidney!
The Mail By Paul W. Whipple
Not in My Back Yard
The Mail By Alex Toombs
You Only Hurt the One You Love
The Mail By F
To Lead or Not to Lead?
The Mail By Dwayne L. Smith
Spellbound
The Mail By Amanda Huff
Publish, Don't Perish
The Mail By Dorothy Hickson
The Music Goes Round and Round
The Mail By David Biderman
Science Fact
The Mail By Judith Judson
Trash Your TV
The Mail By Julie Dunne
CHUCK SHEPHERD REPLIES
The Mail By Chuck Shepherd