Kathryn Bolkovac is a human rights advocate, consultant, former police investigator with the Lincoln Police Department, and former monitor with United Nations International Police Task Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She came to prominence when she sued her employers for unfair dismissal after she lost her job following her attempts to expose sex trafficking in Bosnia. Her story was shown in the film The Whistleblower.
Video Kathryn Bolkovac
Bosnia
Originally hired by DynCorp Aerospace, a British subsidiary of US based DynCorp International, in the framework of a UN-related contract, she filed a lawsuit in Great Britain against DynCorp for unfair dismissal due to a protected disclosure (whistleblowing), and on 2 August 2002 the tribunal unanimously found in her favour. DynCorp had a $15 million contract to hire and train police officers for duty in Bosnia at the time. She reported such officers were paying for prostitutes, raping underage girls and participating in sex trafficking. Many of these officers were forced to resign under suspicion of illegal activity, but none have been prosecuted, as they also enjoy immunity from prosecution in Bosnia. Madeleine Rees testified in her support.
She lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Amsterdam.
Maps Kathryn Bolkovac
Media
Bolkovac's story was made into a film, The Whistleblower, released in 2010. Following a film screening of The Whistleblower, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a panel discussion on sexual exploitation and abuse in conflict and post-conflict situations. The film maker and senior UN officials addressed issues raised in the film, including human trafficking and forced prostitution as well as the organisation's effort to combat sexual exploitation of women and children.
Bolkovac has also co-authored a 2011 book with Cari Lynn, "The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors and One Woman's Fight for Justice.
References
External links
- Kathryn Bolkovac's home page
- Interview with Kathryn Bolkovac by the Christian Science Monitor
- Interview with Kathryn Bolkovac by the Huffington Post
- Interview with Kathryn Bolkovac by NPR
- Interview with Kathryn Bolkovac by The Daily Beast
Source of article : Wikipedia
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