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Friday, November 24, 2017

Movie, “The Whistleblower”: Peacekeeping and Human Trafficking in Bosnia

Very rarely do I blog about a movie. They are usually so well covered in the media that it would be repetitive. But, the movie “The Whistleblower” needs greater exposure, especially with the current public concern over women’s rights and sexual abuse are in the headlines:

The movie The Whistleblower stars Rachel Weisz as Kathryn Bolkovac, a police officer from Nebraska who gets a job as a UN Peacekeeper in Bosnia. However, she soon finds out that her UN colleagues are involved in using and providing children for the sex trade.
The movie is a true story, based on the book The Whistleblower by Kathryn Bolkovac, which details her experiences as a human rights investigator. It started when Bolkova spotted a recruitment flyer from military contractor DynCorp, posted at her police department. A mother of three, with two of her children in college, Kathy signed up to be one of 2,000 police officers from 45 countries to work as peacekeepers. During the training process at DynCorp in the United States, she already became aware that at least one man in her immediate group knew about the use of young girls aged 12 to 15 for sex in Bosnia.
Upon arrival in Sarajevo in 1999, she found restaurants or dance clubs that were fronts for brothels–where young girls were forced to dance naked and have sex with customers–that catered to international clientele, including her fellow UN peacekeepers. She was appalled to find that the Bosnian police knew about the practice and turned a blind eye....”
https://www.tribute.ca/news/the-true-story-behind-the-whistleblower/2011/07/29/

The Whistleblower (2011) Movie Trailer (2 minutes)
https://youtu.be/E56OYUV7BWw
(4 minute)
https://youtu.be/53OItd1sfIc

The Whistleblower: Kathryn Bolkovac— Peacekeeping and Human Trafficking in Bosnia (9 minutes)
https://youtu.be/DQMDjLt_bH8