While at Camp Lima Karbala in 2004-05, the Polish nurses there would give massages and make some extra money on the side under the guise of receiving English lessons.

In 2005 while i was at FOB Suse Detainee Facility (a non KBR camp) up in Kurdestan, a local contractor brought in 12 Filipina’s to work the brand new DFAC. They were set up in trailers outside the facility with satellite TV, internet, etc. They actually had it alot better than we did. We were all in open bay and didn’t have an MWR at the time. The Kurdish guy in charge of them eventually started pimping them out to the soldiers there.

Unfortunately human trafficking has been rife here from the beginning.

The pimps have rules, regulations, business structure, and even their own language. As to business structure, pimps operate a multi-tiered business. There is even a series of pimp videos, produced by pimps themselves that illustrate how the business should be run.

As to the business structure, at the top there is the pimp who runs the business. Below the pimp is the “Bottom Girl.” She acts in a way like an office manager, keeping tabs on the “track” when the pimp is away, keeping the pimp appraised of the law enforcement activity, and collecting money from the prostitutes. The Bottom Girl can be especially important when the pimp is incarcerated.] In addition, under the Bottom Girl, the pimp may employ a “wife-in-law” who has similar duties as the Bottom Girl. Below that there is the bevy of normal prostitutes.

The pimps even recognize a hierarchy among themselves. The least respected, or newer pimps, are the “popcorn pimps,” “wanna-bes, and “hustlers.” A pimp who uses violence and intimidation to control his prostitutes is called a “gorilla pimp,” while those pimps that use psychological trickery to deceive the younger prostitutes into becoming hooked into the system are called “finesse pimps.” Lastly, the successful and established pimps are called “players.”

An important part of the business of pimping is obtaining, and maintaining, a selection of prostitutes. The rules allow prostitutes to move from one pimp to another by “choosing.” To choose, the prostitute is first supposed to make her intentions known to the new pimp. This intentions period is most likely to allow prospective pimps to reject the prostitutes intentions. If the prospective pimp wants the new prostitute to work for him he will then accept money from the new prostitute. This money exchange is referred to as “breaking bread.” The new pimp is then supposed to inform the old pimp of the change, and possibly some of the bread from the moving prostitute is exchanged. Losing your girl to another Pimp is known as getting “Peeled”. Informing a Pimp that he’s been peeled is a professional courtesy and any attempt to respond to this courtesy with violence will quickly get you dubbed a “Gorilla” or “Godzilla”. Prostitutes that move between pimps often are labeled as a “choosey Susie.” In addition, a prostitute may “bounce” from pimp to pimp with out paying the “pimp moving” tax.

With rules, inevitably come people who break the rules. The pimp business has an internal structure for dealing with rule breakers, and, not surprisingly, it is a structure built around violence. For example, pimps have been known to employ a “pimp stick,” which is two coat hangers wrapped together, in order to subdue unruly prostitutes. Another punishment for unruly prostitutes is to “trunk” them. The pimps lock the prostitutes in the trunk of a car to teach them a lesson. In addition, although prostitutes are supposedly free to move between pimps, the movement between pimps sometimes leads to violence. For example, a prostitute could be punished for merely looking at another pimp; this is considered “reckless eyeballing.”

Organized crime or sometimes known as “labor brokers” realize TCN’s are desperate to leave their village and willing or forced to participate out of necessity to generate an income. They also know several men regardless of their cultural background, have at least one common vise, and pursue it despite of the long-term effects.

I think it’s safe to assume the Filipino or other TCN labor brokers and members of upper management had a plan in the beginning to start a prostitution ring when they signed a contract. If any site manager or any other contractor is participating, most likely they’re receiving a their “cut” with fringe benefits. There is always an unscrupulous American contactor and TCN “pimp daddy” waiting to utilize this influx of female TCN’s to those who are willing to participate.

Then there is the issued that KBR and others won’t do anything about the perps except transfer them so why bother. We’ve seen that happen over and over. Most contractors don’t self report the majority of these crimes. That just puts the person reporting at great risk of retaliation. Especially if the perp is a manager.

Most people have little faith in the hotlines. The DoDIG hotline doesn’t get back to you and the people taking the info don’t seem interested. I still encourage people to use the email address just to maintain a record a it was reported.

I would love to publish a list of contact emails, locations, anything that will make it easier from the people who have witnessed the contract violations to report them.

Right now I am trying to contact the DCMA that oversees Dyncorp LOGCAP IV TO4 in Afghanistan. They are not paying the Expats and foreign nationals as agreed to. People are quitting and this could very easily turn into a mission impediment. Any ideas there?

Ms Sparky’s Response:
Yes, I heard you. I sent you an email to the email you provided asking some more questions. I would like to know more specifics about this particular incident. You can email me by clicking on the “Contact Us” tab at the top of the page.