The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman's Fight for Justice

by Kathryn Bolkovac, Cari Lynn

When Nebraska police officer, and divorced mother of three, Kathryn Bolkovac, saw a recruiting announcement for private military contractor DynCorp International, she applied and was hired. Good money, world travel, and the chance to help rebuild a war-torn country sounded like the perfect job. Bolkovac was shipped out to Bosnia, where DynCorp had been contracted to support the UN peacekeeping mission. She was assigned as a human rights investigator, heading the gender affairs unit.

The lack of proper training provided sounded the first alarm bell, but once she arrived in Sarajevo, she found out that things were a lot worse. At great risk to her personal safety, she began to unravel the ugly truth about officers involved in human trafficking, forced prostitution, and their connections to private mercenary contractors, the UN, and the U.S. State Department.

After bringing this evidence to light, Bolkovac was demoted, felt threatened with bodily harm, was fired, and ultimately forced to flee the country under cover of darkness, bringing the incriminating documents with her. Thanks to the evidence she collected, she won a lawsuit against DynCorp, finally exposing them for what they had done. This is her story, and the story of the women she helped achieve justice for.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Memoir, True Crime, Politics, Feminism

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ಠ_ಠ An incredible story of how: Q: DynCorp, global leader in the business of military strategy, nation rebuilding, world security, and counterintelligence, had underestimated one thing: a forty-year-old, divorced mom from Lincoln, Nebraska. (c)
And underestimate her they did. Thank God she K.B. was as resourceful (and plain lucky!) and clever and determined as she was. This is wow. WOW.

This book is not for the weak of stomach. Neither is this world, the one we inhabit.
And anyone says that hell exists? Yeah, it does, right on our planet. I don't think it would be economically efficient to have another one. The one humans unscrupulously maintain, is hellish enough.

'What's wrong with you people?' - the protagonist from the film keeps screaming at a bunch of schmucks... Something's definitely wrong with some people.

The maverick un-freaking-believable case of where the book and the film ('The Whistleblower' (2010)) go hand-in-hand illustrating how immunity and impunity and total lawlessness can walk together, with devastating results for the unfortunate ones.

Q: Original passport confiscated. Reissuance denied. Status: without a country. (c) Wow. This is how a person gets lost and damaged in the quagmire of half-assed laws and loopholes.
Q:
Paranoia for a cop is like a tremor for a surgeon. (c)

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't what to say about this book, other than the fact that Kathryn Bolkovac should win the Nobel Prize, and I would like to meet her.

The events that Bolkovac chronicles were also shown in a movie version of this book. The movie has some changes but is far more faithful than I thought. It is worth getting or watching the DVD after this reading this book (or even before as I did) simply because you get to hear both Bolkovac and Rees take and both women are awesome.

[notgettingenough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just expressed my conviction that the bio-pic is an evil thing, I come to an example that seems to work. May I say that cautiously.

I have not yet read the book, but from what I can see from looking at Bolkovac's site, very little has been changed to create a movie which provides a non-sensationalist look at the UN Peace Keepers' activities in Bosnia.

I have to say, the thing that struck me as most horrific was not even to watch the tale unfold of the despicable actions of these men who have such a position of trust. They trick girls into coming to Bosnia from other countries, and keep them in chains, let them out to perform sexually now and then. They are also bought and sold within this group. The horrific thing is that the US government, that's the one that Obama is in charge of at the moment, still does business with the contracting company that the book exposes. The company itself, if you look at their site, now has a mission statement that makes it look like it cares. Yeah, right. This is so repugnant to me that words fail, that the people involved in these appalling activities got off without any punishment whatsoever and their employers are still buddies with the US government. SHAME ON YOU, Obama. Not for the first time since Obama has taken the reins in the US, I can't help wondering what would have happened if Hilary Clinton had been the chosen one instead.

I have to say, I really didn't want to go to see this movie. I've seen enough 'shit happening to women movies' in my life, I could well imagine what it was going to be like. If you are a girl it will put you off sex. But still, read the book or see the movie, just so people like Obama do get that we care.

The UN actually put out a 2 hour press conference dealing with this book and said that everybody was being made to watch the film. I guess, since UN Peace Keepers, we find out from this movie are often almost completely uneducated, the UN couldn't tell them to read the book. You can see the press conference online here: http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcas...

You can see more about the story at Bolkovac's site here: http://www.bolkovac.com/

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually watched the movie The Whistleblower and found out that it was based on this book. Throughout the movie, I was cringing, angry, upset, and many other emotions that I can't describe at the moment. I saw that it was based on Kathryn Bolkovac's experience working with DynCorp and it was specifically based on this book, so I had to purchase it. Due to time constraints in movies, they have to choose which details to leave out and include, so I was hoping this movie would fill in some of the gaps.

In regards to human trafficking, I believe the movie depicted what these adolescents (specifically females) go through much better than the book. The book really didn't address human trafficking in as much detail as I would have hoped. Bolkovac more or less talked about how they handled human trafficking cases and how these cases were handled by some of her misogynistic superiors. These cases were either blown off because these superiors held the belief that these adolescents are merely prostitutes and/or these cases completely disappeared because they involved diplomats (UN nonetheless) and their very own monitors within DynCorp.

In regards to military contractors, the book illustrated what exactly their job is (or is supposed to be), how the government chooses the military contractor(s), and the corruption within the corporation. It amazes me if you a do a Google Search not only on DynCorp, but on other military contractors, how many negative articles there are. You would think due to all of the negative publicity on these military contractors, the government would stop funding them, but these companies are still in business! To make matters much worse, it is our tax dollars that are enabling their behavior, and those who were involved in human trafficking come back to the US without being reprimanded for their actions due to diplomatic immunity! One can only hope that the government will intercede at some point to prevent this derogatory behavior from continuing.

I hope that due to Bolkovac's book, and the many ex-employees who have been wrongfully fired from their jobs for the same reasons as Bolkovac, the government will address this issue better than they have in the past. I found this book to be insightful and highly recommendable.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this a 4 only because it's a story that needs to be told. I'd like to have seen a bit more of the specifics of DynCorp's wrongdoing and a bit less of her blowing her own horn. Too much of the book comes across as he nya, nya nay-nya nya to the people that wronged her. Too much of "screw you people" and not enough of the nuts and bolts of what's really happening.

[Nathalie Brault · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book but I was totally outraged upon reading it. I knew some horrors were committed in Bosnia during the siege that lasted from 1992 to 1996. In all approximately 100 000 innocent civilians, including thousands of children were killed.
The signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in December 1995 ended the 3 1/2 year war in the Republic of Yugoslavia, the region was renamed Bosnia and Herzegovina.
But little did I know that there was a lot of clandestine women trafficking going on.
Kathy Bolkovac relates to us this awful story the way she lived it to the perils of her life.

As part of the Dayton Agreement, The UN Security Council mandated the creation of a mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide an International Police Task Force (IPTF) and a UN Civilian Affairs Office. This was to aid the de-mining, monitoring human rights issues, rebuilding infrastructures, rebuilding the economy, train and monitor what was left of the diminishes local police force....
The first contract of this sort called LOGCAP was won by Houston-based Brown and Root Services for 3 years. But in 1995 the contract was put back up for competitive bidding and DynCorp with headquarters in Virginia, snagged it's first global LOGCAP contract by underbidding. The US State Department cut the checks for DynCorp and DynCorp would be in charge of everything.

Kathy became involved with DynCorp's first rent-a-cop by answering an ad in the Fall of 1998.
As Kathy started in her new job within DynCorp, she was working within the human rights section. Then she was demoted to another section under the pretense that she was taking a certain file too much at heart. But then she met with a certain lady that spoke to her about the abused women department and so she spoke with her overhead commander and he gave her the papers to go on ahead, and that is how she became involved with trafficked victims. She worked on many trafficked victim cases and tried to help as many as she could, only to find out later that these same victims never made it out of the country but later fell again in the hands fo kidnappers to again fall prey to savage beatings and rape. These harsh people could be the policia or even from DynCorp them self.

As Kathy would go further in her investigations, she would discover that people from DynCorp would go to the brothels and pay to use these girls, and some would buy these girls and resell them among DynCorp people.
These people were never brought to justice and when they went back home their files were never tarnished by what they had done.
They began to make her files disappear, but luckily she was making doubles of everything. Imagine the horror of these poor girls. When DynCorp were suppose be protecting them instead of abusing them. But that's not all DynCorp was doing, they were also trafficking weapons.
Kathy blew the whistle on them to the risk of her own life, and she never gave up and to the cost of her own career.
This is the story of one woman's fight for justice. You'll love this book.
By the way DynCorp is still contracting today and are paid by US citizens taxes, they are sending unqualified, racist, cruel people of ill repute and questionable motives in places such as: Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Serbia, East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the list goes on.
Some things happen such as killings here and there, drug and weapon smugglings, rapes caught on video tapes and major accounting blunders, but none of this seems to get in the way of DynCorp operations.
Definitely worth the purchase.

[Alisha Lakhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

"DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH OR GUILTY CONSCIENCE" - These are the words Kathy Bolkovac uses to begin an email that would kickstart a series of actions that eventually led to her deportation from Bosnia. Kathy, a police officer from Nebraska, was hired by a company called DynCorp to work on a UN peacekeeping mission following the Bosnian war. She was tasked with the ambitious task of restoring law, order and peace however what she discovered was far more sinister than she could even imagine. I first heard about this book and this topic following the release of the movie: The Whistleblower. After reading this book my naive assumptions about the work of the UN and other international institutions have been completely shattered. International organisation are set out to help innocent people however it is well known that they are crippled by bureaucracy. Despite this, I have never considered the possibility that they may hide, carry out, and even cause the human sex trafficking of vulnerable young girls, as young as 8 years old. This book documents Kathy Bolkovac's discovery of the mass human sex trafficking of girls in Bosnia following the war. However, it goes without saying that this may well have occurred in every single country which in which international organisations have operated. This may well include: Nigeria, Kosovo, Burundi, Sierra-Leone, the Congo, Liberia, Cambodia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Colombia, Guinea and Sudan. What is even more harrowing about this story is that none of the perpetrators in Bosnia were ever prosecuted for this despicable crime. It is due to the fact that employees of international organisations have diplomatic immunity which, serves to foster criminal activities as well as eliminating accountability completely. I have never been a fan of happy endings as I feel as though they brush over the tough realities of life. However, one could not accuse this book of doing such. The moral predicament presented here is that during and in the aftermath of war; human trafficking, torture and corruption are an inescapable and unavoidable fact. For me, this is the most depressing and bleak outlook. I refuse to live in a world that carries out, endorses or even stands by while such atrocities occur. According to the Guardian, senior UN official have belittled and downplayed these allegations instead of addressing them and resolving the problem. Its been five years since this book has been released, has the UN learnt its lesson?

Here are some particularly harrowing segments of the book I have come across that I believe elucidate the horrors of human sex trafficking:

"What was clear, however, was that they had been scared into submission. Despite their inconclusive responses, my mind kept circling back to the shocking evidence of US dollars in the metal box behind the bar..."

"The use of overseas brothels by soldiers, sailors, travelers - for the sake of the argument, let us say just men - is not new nor surprising. But the situation here was different. If men were paying for sex with trafficking victims who were being kept against their will and who were underage, then this was not just an illegal visit to a prostitute; this was not just underage sex; this was rape."

"'Just after the soldiers came.'The implication was obvious."

"A clear but horrific picture was forming. This sudden influx on trafficking cases was no coincidence. Bosnia fit the bill for a healthy breeding ground. Human trafficking follows a predictable path of infestation: It seeks out environments that are warm with tumult, such as the aftermath of war or the fall of communism. Then it preys on desperate victims who are brought in over porous borders and past bribable guards. Strategically, it breeds near a region teeming with internationals, because they are the ones who have the money to feed it."

"I could not let this go-the facts were overwhelming. We has a monitor caught, in the IPTF station no less, carrying on an improper relationship with a trafficking victim; we had several first names correlating with specific tattoos and other identifying features of IPTF monitors who were regular customers. We had the evidence to arrest local police officers and IPTF monitors who were taking bribes from the mafia and raping trafficked women. Why was I being paid taxpayer dollars to collect evidence that I was forced to suppress? Why should trafficked women risk their lives coming to the IPTF and giving us information when we were not going to do anything with it?"

"Another account was of a woman who was forced to dance, this time while a man referred to as 'the doctor' inserted coins into her vagina"

"Ben Johnston reported to his superiors at DynCorp that his fellow employees were purchasing weapons and trafficking girls aged between 12-15 years from the Serbian mafia...DynCorp men would forge passports for the girls, rape them, and as a past time, buy and sell them to each other. The DynCorp site supervisor...John Hirtz, even video-taped himself having sex with two girls who were clearly saying no and resisting. Hirtz had distributed the tape..."

"Trafficking in women is called the 'dirty secret of the UN interventions around the world - the nasty underbelly that no one wants to confront...None of these allegations come as a surprise."

"International sex trafficking is the new slavery. It includes the classic and awful elements associated with historic slavery, such as abduction from family and home, use of false promises, transport to a strange country, loss of freedom and personal dignity, extreme abuse and deprivation...the biggest problem we face is to convince people that this is actually taking place."

"Three days after dropping the appeal, DynCorp issued a press release that the US State Department had awarded it a $22 million contract to police Iraq."

"Over the years DynCorp would go on to win more government contracts. In Iraq alone, its contract was renewed in 2007 for another 2 years - despite a tarnished record there...Not only was DynCorp flush with cash but, unlike the military, it was full of willing bodies. Why? My answer: DynCorp welcomed with open arms recruits with insufficient training and questionable motives who eagerly enrolled in its high-paying, zero-accountability, travel abroad programs. Sure there were legal mishaps, killings here and there, drugs and weapons smuggling, some rapes caught on videotape, and major accounting blunders, but none of this seemed to get in the way of DynCorp operations. For DynCorp, government contracts were practically on auto-renew. Taxpayer money kept pouring in as more and more contractors were shipped out around the world: Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Serbia, East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan, the list goes one."

[Jennifer Lucking · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I must give myself a pat on the back for actually finishing this book after taking a break from it (for a couple of weeks) to read a couple of novels. Usually when I "take a break" from a book, I rarely return to it. I felt I needed a break from it because I was having a difficult time getting into this book, not because of the content regarding human trafficking, but because of Kathryn Bolkovac's writing... The subject matter is of extreme interest to me, and I truly commend Bolkovac for her bravery in standing up against such powerful organizations such as DynCorp and the UN. However, I found it difficult to follow her story. It wasn't that it was necessarily boring, but her writing style and "story telling" didn't capture me. I fully understand that Bolkovac had a daunting task at hand; writing about the UN mission in Bosnia is difficult enough because of the explanations needed regarding mission and cultural details, but Bolkavoic also had to write in a way that captivating. It would be challenging to write concisely while including so many details not only about the mission in Bosnia but her own personal experiences trying to combat human trafficking. However, I much preferred the last chapter where she was writing more about the facts of human trafficking within the countries where UN missions are prevalent; there was no "story telling" involved here, and this portion of the book really captivated and informed me.

It is hard to believe that such powerful organizations are capable of such atrocities. I hope Kathryn Bolkovac's story prompts change.

[Mark Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is a few years into a career in the humanitarian sector, this is a devastating read that fills me with anger. Kathryns story is a harrowing portrayal of people placed in powerful positions of responsibility in war torn countries, mandated to protect and support, who instead mislead, take advantage of and abuse the most vulnerable.

I have huge admiration for Kathryn's bravery standing up to the powerful institution's at fault, at huge personal and professional risk and consequence to herself. She especially captures problems of working in war torn regions especially well, including the extreme bureaucracy, overly complex operating environments, and refusals to take accountability that still poison important, life saving operations across the globe today; resulting in environments where sex/people trafficking can breed and thrive.

I can see there has been progress made on some of the areas depicted in this book, especially in terms of NGO governance, safeguarding, investigations and protection policy, procedure and practice. However there is still a huge, huge journey ahead, especially for UN organisations and private contractors (such as DynCorp) who are effectively accountable to noone.

[Emma Ruwe]

Bolkovac writes about her experience as a monitor in the IPTF (International Police Task Force) focusing on the rampancy of prostitution and human trafficking in post-conflict Bosnia. Through her work with IPTF, she unearths the flaws in the United Nation’s outsourcing its global policing and peacekeeping to civilian police operations like DynCorp.

Through working with DynCorp, Bolkovac reveals how a lack of accountability breeds lawlessness even amongst people who are supposed to exercise justice. The highest degree of authority in the US international police created a “boys-will-be-boys environment” and turned a blind eye to the illegal behavior of its own employees. Sadly, the combination of these military contractors working in areas laden with human trafficking is a predictable recipe for disaster at the expense of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched the movie before reading the book, but found both to be equally riveting. The book - a book about justice - is an important book and an honest account of Kathryn Bolkovac's experience in post-war Bosnia, as a UN Peacekeeper. Kathy began to unravel the disturbing truth about officers involved in human trafficking and forced prostitution at a great risk to herself. Thanks to the evidence she collected during this time she won a lawsuit against DynCorp, exposing what they had done. An easy and quick read. I found I was quite frustrated and angry at what happened (or did not happen) over there and knowing it is still going on, I still want to see further justice. I give it 4 stars due to the importance of the book and the courage by Kathy Bolkovac in sharing it.

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book doesn't really focus on or give extensive information on human trafficking - if that is what you ate hoping for in reading it. This is about a woman who was trained as a cop who investigated domestic abuse who takes up a new job that will eventually get her involved in human rights UN work. She learns about human trafficking in Bosnia where she is stationed but doesn't seem to get full support when she realizes there is corruption involved in her employers and co-workers. This was a good book and I read it within a few hours. Now I hope to see the film too.

[Vasil Kolev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very interesting, well written and is about something that was never in any media I've read. I really have no idea how these people are still allowed to operate.

[Declan L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shoutout to whoever got this from The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian in Lund and then donated it to a thrift store in Stockholm where it was only one of 5 English books available. Compelling and great (but tough) read

[Marnie Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish...

[Rhiannon Careri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative story. Can’t wait to speak to the author

[Bojana · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Najveći problem je ubediti ljude kako se to zaista dešava.”

[Laura Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only halfway through the book, and while it's an interesting look at what happens in other countries, I am somewhat annoyed by something that keeps coming up.

First it is mentioned that trafficking victims are not like prostitutes. Which is true - some times, and in some ways.

Then when she talks about the last visit from her daughter, Erin, she talks about how her daughter sits in on a training class she gives to new recruits and how her daughter is shocked and is glad she lives in a country where this sort of thing doesn't happen.

Here's the thing though: It happens in America. A lot. Not only in the "conventional" way (for lack of better wording) where girls get brought in from other countries, but girls are abducted here as well. More often, children enter prostitution because they feel they have no other options. They've run away from home to flee a bad/abusive situation, where within 48 hours one third of those runaways will be approached by a pimp. Very rarely will he introduce himself as a pimp - he's a nice guy who just wants to offer her a safe place to sleep and food. These children are vulnerable, and pimps know this. They take advantage and they manipulate them and they are victims of trafficking as well.

Again, I'm not done with the book, so maybe this issue will be addressed later on in the book, and if it is I'll come back and edit my review. But I did have to say something, because I am assuming anyone reading this book is interested in the issue of human trafficking and certain parts of this book are close minded in my opinion.

Anyone who would like to read more about the human trafficking issue in the United States should check out a book called Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd or another one called Somebody's Daughter (I can't remember who that one is by)

[Rachel G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up “The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman’s Fight for Justice” by Kathy Bolkovac at the library a couple of weeks ago. Dressember is coming up and I’ve been wanting to read more books about the issue of human trafficking. Ms. Bolkovac was a Lincoln police officer and that intrigued me as well.
I had no knowledge of Ms. Bolkovac‘s story before I read this book. It really is outrageous to hear about the misuse of power and authority by DynCorp, and how many of the officers frequented brothels or looked down upon trafficking victims.
She writes about how they might “rescue” women from clubs or brothels, but didn’t really help the women get back home or prevent them from being trafficked again.
Much of the book focused on her fight with DynCorp, first on behalf of human rights cases and then a legal fight over her unfair termination. But the big picture of the story is about DynCorp and other officials neglecting to investigate trafficking cases, and failing to punish employees connected with brothels or trafficking rings.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought The Whistleblower early in 2011 after seeing an article The Big Issue and reading Natasha Walter's Living Dolls (another compelling must-read book). The book sat in my reading pile for a few months because I wanted to give Kathryn’s story my attention 100%. I expected a difficult non-fiction read.

I was wrong.

Kathryn's experience is compelling; on the morning on 11 April 2011 I opened The Whistleblower for the first time, and could not tear myself away until I had finished.

The more we read non-fiction book’s such as The Whistleblower and talk about them; the more difficult it becomes for those close to the situation to ignore the abuse.

Kathryn is exceptional. Unfortunately, what she tells us about in this book, is not.

[Kathy Krieg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story needs to be looked into. As citizens we are paying companies we contracted with that represent US to help overseas. Some of their their employees (including top executives) involved in sex trafficking - why does this continue to happen?

[Janell Kellett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with an interesting and important topic. Parts of the book were a little dry, but I enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to the movie coming out.

[Laury]

Written by my cousin

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vanaf 10 november 2011 draait in de bioscoop de film The Whistleblower, gebaseerd op dit indringende verhaal van Kathryn Bolkovac. Na het lezen van dit boek begrijp ik waarom het verfilmd is.

Kathryn Bolkovac is een veertigjarige gescheiden politieagente als ze in 1998 een advertentie leest van DynaCorp. Kom toch vooral bij de vredesmacht in Bosnië werken, is de boodschap. Ze zoeken ervaren en goed getrainde mensen om een jaar lang deel te nemen aan de vredesmacht van de VN en ze betalen zo'n beetje het dubbele van wat Kathryn op dat moment verdient. Op een keerpunt in haar leven neemt ze dan het besluit haar vaardigheden, vooral in forensisch onderzoek en het begeleiden van getraumatiseerde vrouwen, in dienst te stellen van dit nobele streven om de mensen in Bosnië te helpen hun leven na de oorlog weer op te bouwen. Slechts enkele jaren later is zij weer thuis, althans, ze woont tegenwoordig deels in Nederland. Haar nieuwe echtgenoot is een Nederlander die ze in Bosnië heeft leren kennen en behalve dat heeft zij eigenlijk niet veel van haar tijd daar overgehouden. Ja, veel ervaring en ja, ze heeft fantastische mensen leren kennen, zowel bij de VN-vredesmacht als in Bosnië zelf. Maar het feit dat zij een klokkenluider werd, heeft haar veel ellende, schaamte, financiële en persoonlijke problemen gebracht. Al vrij snel na haar aankomst in Bosnië merkt Kathryn namelijk dat de veelal hooggeplaatste VN-ambtenaren het met de wet niet zo nauw nemen. Sterker nog, ze nemen het ook niet nauw met de normale omgangsvormen. Waar Kathryn vecht om vrouwen en meisjes uit bordelen te halen om hen een nieuw menswaardig bestaan te geven, wandelen de mannen uit het gezelschap diezelfde bordelen vrolijk in en uit en maken zij gebruik van diezelfde meisjes. Kathryn kan het niet langer aanzien en trekt aan de bel. Dan begint er een lange periode waarin haar op alle mogelijke manieren het werken moeilijk tot onmogelijk wordt gemaakt. Gelukkig zet ze door en gesteund door een aantal mensen die wel het probleem inzien, sleept ze diverse mensen voor de rechter. Het geheel wordt bemoeilijkt door het feit dat DynaCorp een particulier bedrijf is, ingehuurd door de VN om te zorgen voor personeel.

Het is werkelijk schandalig om te lezen hoe er met mensen en ook met gemeenschapsgeld wordt omgegaan! Kathryn is een dappere vrouw en gelukkig heeft zij volledig de steun van haar man en haar drie inmiddels volwassen kinderen. De film zal hopelijk net zo'n diepe indruk achterlaten als het boek. Helaas laat wel hier en daar de redactie enigszins te wensen over.

[Anita Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trafficking is not just sex slavery, but you can guarantee that it does use sex to exploit people on a global scale and always done without consent. It targets those vulnerable, knowing they have no capacity to defend themselves, or often discovering far too late that they are the victim of another’s crime; at the mercy of those who know better, yet lack the integrity/decency to do better. As the whistleblower shows it’s readers, often the perpetrators are the very same people meant to protect us, yet sadly when there is power, money, positions at stake, or fear of being called out for what they do of which they know to be wrong, lives hanging in the balance are the price paid to make the stories go away.
For the victims that have been caught in the web of such lies and deceit, the twisted game of coercive control, the human rights violations that always come back as the very real accounts of abuse, The whistleblower makes you realise just how prevalent these crimes still are today, how the same tactics are used on victims of abuse and violence, employees in the workplace who speak out and the cunning ways a badge, license, lawyer, medical professional can hide a death or even use the alias/umbrella of suicide to remove trace of a murderer’s kill.
As Kathryn Bolkovac reminds her readers, evidence speaks plainly for itself and behind every bad it is still hoped that the good will always prevail. For those who blow the whistle, or attempt to question the injustice, let us pray that in the future there won’t be so many tragic consequences.
Yet all perpetrators motivated by ego and sociopathic tendencies will often give themselves away, they enjoy leaving behind sinister clues - like those involved with the death of my daughter and the items they placed in her personal belongings. Handed back to me to ensure I saw them. Items that hinted at a type of surveillance used to again like in the whistleblower shame the survivor of abuse and the parallel nature of these types of crime that see no accountability to the perpetrators of the crimes.

[Martyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Whistleblower" tells the true story of American policewoman Kathryn Bolkovac, who bravely got involved in the fight for dignity and human rights in war-ravaged Bosnia's.

In 1995, Kate joined the UN peacekeeping force and was sent on a mission to Sarajevo. As a human rights investigator and civilian police observer, she was to train local police officers, control conditions in refugee camps, and, above all, document cases of sexual crimes and domestic violence.
She quickly discovers that corruption, trafficking and prostitution of minors are rampant in the country on an unimaginable scale, and not only representatives of local authorities and police are involved in this illegal practice, but also peacekeepers, high-ranking UN officials and ordinary regular mission members.

The effectiveness of Bolkovac's actions and commitment are worrying the corrupt superiors and colleagues who are starting to boycott and obstruct her work. Her cases are discontinued, falsified documentation, reports and files certifying the participation of mission members in human trafficking disappear in a mysterious way. Kate, however, is not intimidated and reveals the discovered facts internationally. She is disciplinary dismissed from her job and begins a court battle not only for her rights, but also for the rights and dignity of women and children harmed by an organization whose premise is to ensure peace and security and respect for human rights.

The book is written in a very accessible language. The author made sure that there were descriptions of post-war Bosnia as well as issues that the country had to face. It shows a story of a woman who undertook a fight with a large corporation cooperating with the US government and showed how crimes are committed under the guise of international assistance.

[Kt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

When Bolkovac quit her job as a police office in Nebraska, USA to take a one year contract with DynCorp in Bosnia, she thought that she’d be making a difference in a war torn country, helping to rebuild it. Instead, what she found was corruption, cover ups and collusion at every corner and that was just within DynCorp.

As Bolkovac tries to effect change regarding Human Rights; her employer makes things harder and harder until she’s sacked. Little did DynCorp realise they’d chosen the wrong person to pick a fight with; for Bolkovac won’t rest until she exposes them to the world.

The Whistleblower has been sitting on my TBR pile for close to five years now and I should have read it sooner as it’s an absolute eye opener to the coverups and corruption that continuously seems to happen when first world countries go into war zones to help ‘better’ them. Whilst the writing was simplistic and dry at times, it’s also definitely an emotional read. Bolkovac’s frustration at constantly having her hands tied behind her back and later her determination to expose DnyCorp oozes from many of the pages.

Whilst I would have liked to hear more about her Human Rights; I appreciate with the title ‘The Whistleblower’ the premise is not about her work but the organisation she worked for. To that end, the plot works well.

The Whistleblower is not a memoir that will engage everyone, but if you’re after something different it’s certainly an interesting read.

The Whistleblower is my twentieth read in #ktbookbingo, category ‘A book that you own but haven’t read.’ To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo or @kt_elder on Instagram.

[Vicki Nemeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'll fly through this. It's so readable. Admittedly not the "show-don't-tell" stuff like fiction is able to do, because it's summarized, and it has to be perfectly non-libellous.

Found months ago while browsing the nonfiction stacks for fun, but left alone because I figured enough people in the world knew about the topic. Springtime on X: apparently not. Trends about US government involvement in human trafficking (many posts erased, now, at least from search).

Tells the story of Kathryn sidestepping mediocre guys to do amazing precedent building and then being wrongfully demoted and eventually fired. Summarizes the process of continuing to appear rational in the face of abuse, and documenting evidence while trying to stop the firing. I especially appreciated seeing some lines of logic and argumentation that worked (or didn't) in the court process.

The last chapter names some newer "clean" companies that merely originated from the big offender in the book. This practice hasn't ended. It just keeps replicating itself to new hotzones and tourist towns.

Endnotes and index. Some black and white photos. I guess I would revisit this book if I were doing research.

By the way, it isn't bragging or nose-thumbing at the old boys, as a previous reviewer claims. Every time a woman wins a tiny bit of justice back, from a massive injustice, is not automatically her bragging or teasing. The entire ending is pessimistic, for crying out loud!

[Juni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathryn Bolkovac is a hero we all need. Going up against powerful people at DynCorp, notorious for its scandals in war-torn countries, is not an easy task. But Bolkovac braves all odds by telling us the ugly truth of human trafficking and sex slavey in Bosnia.

Despite its heavy theme, Bolkovac does not burden the readers with graphic details of violence nor does she paint a pitiful picture of herself in her fight for justice. Instead, she comes across as a strong person who is not afraid to speak up when it matters and give credit where it's due. Her courage is inspiring and makes you realize that one person can indeed make a difference.

The plot moves fast and it's hard to keep the book down until you've reached the end. It may not be the best piece of writing there is, but it's definitely worth the read.

[RuthAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My colleague tipped me off to this true story by an American police officer who went to Bosnia on a peacekeeping mission, only to uncover corruption regarding a human trafficking scheme. YIKES. My biggest takeaway from this memoir was how important solid, ethical policing is in maintaining justice. It sounds obvious, but when that aspect of the justice system goes away, all bets are off. I also really appreciated hearing the story from a female police officer who strived to make a difference where she was, even though she hit obstacles at every turn. The book is not the most well-written account, but the author’s drive and persistence really come through. I haven’t seen the movie adaptation yet with Rachel Weisz, so if you have seen it, let me know what you thought of it!