Human Rights Watch submitted a number of requests to the U.S. government for documents relating to trafficking in persons in Bosnia pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Two years after our initial request, we obtained a limited number of documents. A selection of documents, some redacted in part by the U.S. government, is available through the links below. These documents corroborate Human Rights Watch’s findings in its November 2002 report, “Hopes Betrayed: Trafficking of Women and Girls to Bosnia and Herzegovina for Forced Prostitution.”
- Cable describing how civilian police expelled from one mission were redeployed in other missions in different parts of the world, and noting that once individual civilian police were repatriated, investigations into improper conduct were suspended. (August 2001)
- Cable revealing that American civilian police officers in Kosovo were involved in activities violating the code of conduct, and that one accepted gifts from a brothel owner in the form of “girls.” The cable also noted that the initial internal U.N. report on the allegations was “lost.” (August 2001)
- Cable acknowledging that four U.N. international police had been repatriated for patronizing trafficking victims as prostitutes. (March 2002)
- Cable expressing alarm at the possibility of a scandal due to trafficking
allegations (October 2000) - Cable describing interviews of trafficked women detained in police raids and
documenting the abuses suffered by these women (November 24, 2000) - Memorandum describing involvement of International Police Task Force members in trafficking of women and related misconduct (December 10, 2001)
- Cables verifying that Bosnia is a major destination for trafficked women, describing the treatment of these women, and assessing the state response to this issue March 2001)
- Cable confirming disciplinary action against American personnel assigned to the International Police Task Force due to allegations of improper conduct in connection with trafficking in women (November 24, 2001)
Related Material
Trafficking of Women and Girls to Post-Conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina for Forced Prostitution
Report, November 1, 2002