[serialposts]Kathryn Bolkovac.

It’s a name I never heard until I watched The Whistleblower. Now that I know who she is, I want to tell the world about her.

She was just a normal woman. A police officer in Nebraska. Living a broken life. Trying her best to get it back together. Motivated primarily by the money, she signs up to be a UN Peacekeeper in Bosnia. After all, it’s just six months, then she can move closer to her family.

But then she gets to Bosnia. She sees what life is like. Women are being abused by their husbands with no legal recourse. Because of her persistence, a case is taken to court and domestic violence is recognized as a crime.

From that moment on, her life will never be the same.

She soon discovers that UN Peacekeepers are involved in the sex trafficking of young girls. As a mother of a teenage daughter, she cannot turn a blind eye to the atrocities. She uncovers broad abuse and when she tries to bring it to authorities’ attention, finds herself demoted.

This movie socked me in the gut. I mean, I know human trafficking is happening all over the world. But to discover that the very people that were supposed to be protectors were actually offenders? The very ones that should be trusted were the ones exploiting those who needed the most protection.

And here’s the worst part … nothing was ever really done about it. Even after Bolkovac took the news to the press, the offenders lost their jobs but were never prosecuted for the crimes they committed. They got away with it. They could still be involved in the sex trade in their own countries. Who knows?

As the movie ended, I was disappointed in its lack of resolution. And then I realized that there is no resolution. The issue of human trafficking is still largely hidden. We don’t like to talk about it. We’d rather turn and look the other way.

Take a look at the trailer:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al3anBiHwmI w=640]

Inspired by actual events, this is definitely a movie to see. It’s only shown in select theaters around the country. If it’s in a theater near you, it is definitely worth seeing. And if not, then add it to your Netflix queue for the moment it comes out.