The Whistleblower
Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman's Fight for Justice
de Kathryn Bolkovac, Cari Lynn
When Nebraska police officer and recently 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. The lack of proper training provided to the new recruits, sounded the first alarm bell, but once she arrived in Sarajevo, she found out that things were a lot worse. Due to her proven skills, she was assigned as a human rights investigator, heading the gender affairs unit. At great risk to her personal safety, she began to unravel the ugly truth about officers involved in human trafficking and forced prostitution and their connections to private mercenary contractors, the U.N., 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.
