Kathryn Bolkovac

Who is Kathryn Bolkovac?

Kathryn Bolkovac is a former American police investigator from Nebraska. She worked as a UN International Police Force monitor.

Originally hired by DynCorp Aerospace, a British subsidiary of US based DynCorp, in the framework of a UN-related contract, she filed a lawsuit in Great Britain against DynCorp for unfair dismissal due to a protected disclosure, and on 2 August 2002 the tribunal unanimously found in her favor. DynCorp had a $15 million contract to hire and train police officers for duty in Bosnia at the time she reported such officers were paying for prostitutes and participating in sex trafficking. Many of these officers were forced to resign under suspicion of illegal activity, but none have been prosecuted, as they also enjoy immunity from prosecution in Bosnia. Madeleine Rees testified in her support.

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. The filmmaker and senior UN officials addressed issues raised in the film, including human trafficking and forced prostitution as well as the Organization's effort to combat sexual exploitation of women and children.