Kathryn Bolkovac

Kathryn Bolkovac (born c. 1961) [2] 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 (Bosnia). 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 and told in the nonfiction book, The Whistleblower, with journalist Cari Lynn.

Kathryn Bolkovac
Bornc. 1961
Ohio, USA [1]
Years active1999 - present
MovementHuman trafficking
Websitebolkovac.com

Bosnia

Bolkovac left the Lincoln Police Department in 1999 [3] and signed a contract with DynCorp Aerospace, a British subsidiary of US based DynCorp International. DynCorp had a $15 million UN-related contract to hire and train police officers for duty in Bosnia.[4][5] After a week at the companies training facility in Fort Worth, Texas, Bolkovac was sent to Sarajevo, Bosnia [3] where she worked as a human rights investigator for three months. She was then moved to a Zenica, 70 kilometers north of Sarajevo to work on a specialist case aimed at fighting violence against women.

In July 2001, Bolkovac filed a lawsuit in Great Britain against DynCorp for unfair dismissal after a protected disclosure (whistleblowing).[5] They had claimed she was fired for falsifying time sheets.[3] On August 2, 2002 the tribunal unanimously found in her favour.[6] She reported that fellow DynCorp officers were paying for prostitutes, raping underage girls and participating in sex trafficking.[7][6] While locals were prosecuted, any UN contractors involved had immunity from prosecution in Bosnia, though a number of these officers were forced to resign and leave Bosnia, under suspicion of illegal activity.[8] Madeleine Rees, Head of Office in the region for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, testified in her support. In November 2002, an employment tribunal ordered DynCorp to pay Bolkovac £110,221 in damages.[9] She stated that the case settlement “didn’t really even cover expenses”.[10] The US government continued their contract with DynCorp.[11]

Later career and activism

In 2015 Bolkovac graduated with a degree in political science from University of Nebraska–Lincoln. [12]

She has continued to work against human trafficking and violence against women, and is a public speaker addressing the trafficking, ethics and anti-corruption issues. Bolkovac has stated that she doesn’t consider herself an activist but “more of an advocate for change“. She designed and taught a masters level course at the University for Peace.[13] In 2020 she began working on launching a human rights curriculum for middle and high school students.[14]

In 2015 she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.[12]

Personal life

Bolkovac has three children from her first marriage, two daughters and a son.[15][16] In 1999 she married her second husband, Jan, a police officer for the Dutch government, whom she worked with in Bosnia.[17] She lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Amsterdam.[18]

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.[19][20] 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.[21]

See also

References
  1. >"Kathryn Bolkovac, author bio".
  2. Wilson, Jamie (2002-11-27). "£110,000 payout for sacked whistleblower". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  3. "Insight: Kathryn Bolkovac, whistleblower". The Independent. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  4. "A 'Whistleblower' Made Into A Hollywood Heroine". NPR. 2011-07-30. Archived from the original on 2020-08-22. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  5. Barnett, Antony; Hughes, Solomon (2001-07-29). "British firm accused in UN sex scandal". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  6. Bolkovac, Kathyrn (2011-01-22). "The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors and One Woman's Fight for Justice". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-08-22. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  7. "A 'Whistleblower' Made Into A Hollywood Heroine". NPR.org. 2011-07-30. Archived from the original on 2020-08-22. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  8. Isenberg, David. "Sex and security in Afghanistan". Asia Times. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
  9. "£110,000 payout for sacked whistleblower". the Guardian. 2002-11-27. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  10. Prez, Rebecca Cruise, Sam Des. "Former UN Police Investigator Explains The Problems She Faced As A Whistleblower". www.kgou.org. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  11. Prez, Rebecca Cruise, Sam Des. "Former UN Police Investigator Explains The Problems She Faced As A Whistleblower". www.kgou.org. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  12. "Undergrad nominated for Nobel Peace Prize". news.unl.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  13. "Consulting Experience". Kathryn Bolkovac. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  14. "Kathryn Bolkovac". Kathryn Bolkovac. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  15. "A 'Whistleblower' Made Into A Hollywood Heroine". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  16. "The Long Night". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  17. "Truth Be Told: The Whistleblower". Tribeca. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  18. "Author profile: Kathryn Bolkovac". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  19. United Nations webcast: Panel discussion: Sexual exploitation and abuse in conflict and post-conflict situations
  20. Mondello, Bob (2011-08-05). "A 'Whistleblower' Against International Injustice". NPR. Archived from the original on 2020-08-22. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  21. Kathryn Bolkovac & Cari Lynn (2011). The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman's Fight for Justice. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230108028.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
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