by David Phinney
Friday March 29th 2024

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‘Human Trafficking is Slavery’
Even by US-Funded Contractors in Iraq

….And US-funded contractors taking away passports from low-paid migrant workers in Iraq is a crime under US law. That’s a red flag indication of labor trafficking. The Pentagon found the practice is/was widespread under KBR…..

Why wasn’t any subcontractor busted?

This is a very important question…. read on.


Manpower, Inc., sponsored a public service announcement last December calling on 1,000 of the world’s largest companies to help end human trafficking. It was the first global corporation to sign the Athens Ethical Principles, an initiative of the “End Human Trafficking Now!” (EHTN!) campaign.
The principles declare “zero tolerance” for working with any entity benefiting in any way from human trafficking, including clients, vendors and business partners.

Trafficking human beings is now the third largest illegal industry on the planet, following only arms and drug smuggling,” said David Arkless, Manpower Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Special Envoy for the EHTN! campaign. “It is a modern form of slavery and no matter where companies are operating, their supply chains could be benefiting from trafficking. We cannot ignore this exploitation and we encourage other companies to join us in standing against this industry.”

THE PENTAGON recently acknowledged that the practice of taking passports was “widespread” by companies working under US funded contracts in Iraq. It is a red flag for labor trafficking. Subcontractors employing low-wage laborers from impoverished Asian and African nations working under the Halliburton/KBR $16-billion-and-counting military logistics contract (LogCAP) were among the worst offenders.
Why were employers holding passports? To prevent employees from “jumping” to other firms, the Pentagon said. The sentence ended by adding “among other things.” What “other things” were found is something the Pentagon declines to share.
In the Pentagon’s words: “This practice violates the law under Title 18 U.S. Code.” That’s a serious violation punishable by fine and prison, but no company or individual has yet been publicly penalized.
Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 states:

….that “to prevent or restrict or to attempt to prevent or restrict, without lawful authority, the person’s liberty to move or travel, in order to maintain the labor or services of that person, when the person is or has been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.”

US LAW DEFINES FORCED LABOR:
§ 1589. Forced labor
Whoever knowingly provides or obtains the labor or services of a person —
(1) by threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint against, that person or another person;
(2) by means of any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause the person to believe that, if the person did not perform such labor or services, that person or another person would suffer serious harm or physical restraint; or
(3) by means of the abuse or threatened abuse of law or the legal process, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If death results from the violation of this section, or if the violation includes kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or the attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, the defendant shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or life, or both.
Check it out on YouTube.com: By this time tomorrow 36,000 people will have been trafficked.
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Companies can sign up for the Athens Ethical Principles and learn more about the End Human Trafficking Now by visiting: www.endhumantraffickingnow.com

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2 Responses to “‘Human Trafficking is Slavery’
Even by US-Funded Contractors in Iraq

  1. Nevaeh says:

    This piece was a lijfeacket that saved me from drowning.

  2. William Bowers says:

    Since you do alot of checking into companies violating employee rights. I like to know who exactly do we have to contact? Because there is alot of employee violating and government contract frauding please reply

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