US Military tries to end trafficking of people to serve on their camps in Iraq

The US military issued a communication yesterday stating that it had ordered contractors in Iraq to stop breaking human trafficking laws while supplying staff to its bases and other areas. This follows a report in March which said that it was common practise to remove the passports from labourers to try to keep them in place. The US military employs thousands of people, often from South Asia, to do menial jobs on bases. There have been many complaints that workers had been offered jobs in the Gulf, then when their passports were taken from them they were forced to go to Iraq.
military spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said.
“The rights to freedom of movement and quality living standards are serious issues; (the U.S. military in Iraq) takes a zero tolerance approach to any violation,” A military investigation has lead to a dead line being given to contractors to return passports by May 5^th. The US military has not stated whether contactors who have trafficked human beings will now be prosecuted. It is necessary to see such prosecutions to send a clear message to traffickers around the world.