Zero Prosecutions

by Austin on August 23, 2006

Maybe you’re asking yourself why nobody’s being prosecuted for trafficking in Iraq. Actually we’ve been asking ourselves a few questions as well. Sometimes the answers are surprising.

Maybe the trafficking of people into areas of conflict is a new phenomenon that nobody knew anything about!

Actually, human rights professionals like Martina Vandenberg and Sarah Mendelson started looking at cases of trafficking and exploitation by US contractors in Bosnia in the late 1990s.

But those are human rights advocates and researchers, what about the Department of Defense?

In 2004 Secretary Rumsfeld signed a memo stating that, “Trafficking practices will not be tolerated in DOD contractor organizations or their subcontractors in supporting DOD operations.?

Good news! That settles it, right?

We’d love to believe the Secretary but victims of trafficking had to wait another two years before the Defense Department got around to clarifying their position.

Two years! Why’d it take so long to clarify the phrase ‘will not be tolerated’?

According to a report by Chicago Tribune reporter Cam Simpson, lobbyists for the military contractors stalled the process; it seems they wanted to draft the government’s policy to regulate their industry!

Well, now that these policies are a bit clearer, the bad guys are going to jail, right?

In 2005 attorney and human rights researcher Martina Vandenberg pointed out that “No U.S. contractor has ever faced criminal prosecution in U.S. courts or abroad for trafficking?.?. In fact, one company identified by Cam Simpson as holding workers against their will is currently building the United States’ Embassy in Baghdad.

So it’s 2006 and very little has changed?

That’s what Representative John McHugh (NY, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel) said at a recent hearing. At the same hearing Representative Chris Smith (NJ) was even more forceful. He said that despite some progress, anti-trafficking efforts are not part of the DOD’s organizational culture and infrastructure.

So why aren’t there any prosecutions or convictions for crimes we know were committed in Iraq?

That’s exactly what Free the Slaves is asking the Secretary of Defense. Earlier this year the Defense Department released a spate of memos addressing trafficking into labor exploitation in Iraq. While this is encouraging, there still haven’t been any convictions. We’re convinced that much, much more remains to be done. Memos are a wonderful start but real progress isn’t possible until the Defense Department places a priority on the changes proposed by Free the Slaves and others.

What now?

Make your voice heard! Tell Rumsfeld that now is the time to end trafficking in Iraq and that prosecution for guilty corporations should be part of this plan.