Your Tax Dollars Fund Human Trafficking. Click Here to Do Something About it →
Thousands of foreign nationals working for U.S. government contractors and subcontractors are victims of human traffickers. Many of these workers have been lied to in regards to where they’ll work and how much they’ll get paid. Often, after they arrive, they live in squalid conditions and have their travel documents taken away, making them prisoners.
It’s unconscionable.
If you agree, then please send a letter to the federal agency in charge of writing the new anti-trafficking regulations. Demand that contractors and subcontractors be held accountable so that the thousands of workers who provide food and other necessary services to our soldiers and reconstruction personnel aren’t trapped in the horrors of modern-day slavery.
(Source: pogo.org)
“We’re making clear that American tax dollars must never, ever be used to support the trafficking of human beings. We will have zero tolerance. We mean what we say. We will enforce it.”
U.S. Department of State: Human Trafficking Awareness Day: 20 Ways You Can Help Fight Modern Slavery →
After first learning about human trafficking, many people want to help in some way but do not know how. Here are just a few ideas for your consideration.
- Learn human trafficking red flags and ask follow up questions so that you can detect a potential trafficking situation.
- In the United…
Activists Talk to POGO about Human Trafficking and Government Contractors →
Today is National Human Trafficking Day, so spend some time learning about this important issue, which may seem distant, but is actually closely related to your paycheck. Recently, POGO had the opportunity to talk with two documentary filmmakers working on a project about human labor trafficking on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. This wide-spread practice is supported by U.S. taxpayer dollars meant for base construction and operation. Listen to the fascinating and infuriating story in the latest POGO podcast.
U.S. Taxpayer Dollars Facilitating Human Labor Trafficking on Military Bases
U.S. taxpayers are paying contractors who participate in human trafficking on U.S. military bases around the world. Thousands of poor, rural men are being held in warehouses for months without pay after promises of high salaries. These men are used to build and maintain U.S. military bases in combat zones, and they are being routinely exploited by a subcontractor system with little oversight.
Sindhu P. Kavinamannil and Sam W. McCahon are making a documentary about human labor trafficking. They came to POGO and recorded a podcast about their findings. Watch a short trailer for the podcast here. Stay tuned for the full podcast later this week.
POGO’s Nick Schwellenbach testified before Congress about how poor contract oversight can support human trafficking. Read the 5 key quotes from the hearing.
“I think the most appalling aspect that people miss is that virtually zero repercussions have happened to the individuals involved. Government agencies such as the State Department have not seriously tackled the issue by removing contracts from companies like DynCorp. I have heard of a few fines imposed recently, but in actuality, this is nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Those involved in my dismissal for doing my job and reporting criminal acts were rewarded and continue to work in management positions, earning tax-free high-dollar salaries at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.”
Kathryn Bolkovac, in a new interview with POGO about the recent film The Whistleblower, which is based on the real-life story of Bolkovac alleging that her fellow U.N. peace keepers in Bosnia were complicit in the rape and trafficking of underage girls.
Read the whole interview on the POGO blog, and if you are in the DC area you can come see a special presentation of The Whistleblower as part of POGO’s Whistleblower film series this Saturday.
Wasteful Contracting Puts Money in the Pockets of Human Traffickers, Report Says →
If you think it’s bad enough that billions of taxpayer dollars are going down the drain in wartime contracting in Afghanistan and Iraq—it gets worse. Some contractors have been shown to support human trafficking and labor exploitation, as their subcontractors lure impoverished third-country nationals into working for them. A new report shows that many of these traffickers are getting away scot free. With your money.
Get the details on the POGO blog.
We’re looking forward to this weekend’s opening of The Whistleblower, which tells the awful, but true, story of a Bosnian sex trafficking ring. Two employees for Dyncorp, a military contractor, blew the whistle on the ring, which involved some of their coworkers.
