Defence Forces Review 2010

Defence Forces Review 2010Human Trafficking. Are Peacekeepers Turning a Blind Eye?Comdt Eugene Kenneth Pettit. LLM, Dip Arb, Dip C. Admin, BSc.ABSTRACTThis study explores the subject of human trafficking. Specifically the research assessesthe degree to which peacekeeping operations act to restrict or promote human traffickingin Kosovo. The study identifies the main peacekeeping organisations and focuses on theinfluence that organisational culture can have on the individual and how policy can changethe behaviour of the individual.The researcher carried out qualitative semi-structured interviews with key people working inthe sphere of human rights and conflict areas. The case study focus, Kosovo was explored todetermine if there was evidence to link the peacekeeper with the crime of human trafficking.In addition the Irish defence Forces response to the broad issues surrounding peacekeepingand human trafficking was explored.The findings indicate that instances of human trafficking linked to the peacekeeper havedramatically reduced and is much less evident than earlier in the decade. It appears that therole of leadership and awareness training has been critical to creating the conditions for changeand influencing the behaviour of the individual.Worryingly, what has emerged is the grip that organised crime has taken on Kosovo, with itsinfluence extending into the Police Service and the Judiciary.On the basis of the findings it is recommended awareness training is continued so that theexperience of ‘leaders and the led’ can be used as a motivational driver within the organisationto create the conditions to maintain change. Significantly the lessons learned in Kosovo can beheld up as best practice, used as a template for change and applied to peacekeeping operationsin Africa.At a strategic level it is recommended that legislation introduced to other jurisdictions can beused as a framework in Kosovo in order to treat the woman as the victim of violence and tocriminalise the user.The victim is at the heart of this study and the continuous torment suffered is a reminder ofhow organised crime can inflict extensive damage on society.122