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Kathryn Bolkovac (born ) is an American human rights advocate, consultant, former police investigator with the Lincoln Police Department, and former monitor with United Nations International Police Task Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She came to prominence when she sued her employers for unfair dismissal after she lost her job following her attempts to expose sex trafficking in Bosnia. Her story was shown in the film The Whistleblower and told in the nonfiction book, The Whistleblower.
In July 2001, Bolkovac filed a lawsuit in Great Britain against DynCorp for unfair dismissal after a protected disclosure (whistleblower). They had claimed she was fired for falsifying time sheets. On August 2, 2002 the tribunal unanimously ruled in her favour. She reported that fellow DynCorp officers were paying for , raping underage girls and participating in sex trafficking. While locals were prosecuted, any UN contractors involved had immunity from prosecution in Bosnia, although a number of these officers were forced to resign and leave the country, under suspicion of illegal activity. Madeleine Rees, Head of Office in the region for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, testified in her support. In November 2002, an employment tribunal ordered DynCorp to pay Bolkovac £110,221 in damages. She stated that the case settlement “didn’t really even cover expenses”. The US Government continued their contract with DynCorp.
She has continued to work against human trafficking and violence against women, and is a public speaker addressing trafficking, ethics and anti-corruption issues. Bolkovac has stated that she doesn’t consider herself an activist but “more of an advocate for change“. She designed and taught a masters level course at the University for Peace. In 2020 she began working on launching a human rights curriculum for middle and high school students.
Bolkovac has also co-authored a 2011 book with Cari Lynn, The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors and One Woman's Fight for Justice.
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