Senators Demand Accountability, Culture Overhaul & Justice for Survivors After U.S. Navy Sailors are Involved in Human Trafficking

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – After disturbing reports of U.S. Navy Sailors’ involvement in human trafficking in Bahrain, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) demanded answers and accountability from the Navy. Reports indicate Sailors in Bahrain held individuals trafficked from Thailand in U.S. taxpayer-funded housing, restricted their movement by confiscating their passports, and profited from the sex trade. In a letter to Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite, the Senators asked what steps the Navy has taken to address the circumstances in Bahrain and to prevent trafficking in other locations, demanding an overhaul of underlying Navy culture, accountability, and justice for the trafficking survivors.

“[W]e are concerned that these crimes are not confined to this location, and that trafficking metastasized out of a “shadowy subculture” left unaddressed for years,” wrote the Senators. “Even the perception that Navy personnel could be involved in trafficking is damaging to the local and global perception of U.S. forces. Beyond the despicable crime that Sailors were charged with, the underlying culture – often referred to as ‘a girl in every port’ – that has allowed prostitution in U.S. Navy ports is shameful. It is evident the Navy’s zero tolerance policy against trafficking has not been effectively communicated to every echelon of commanders.”

The Senators called on the Navy to work with human trafficking advocacy organizations, local law enforcement, and nongovernmental organizations to provide support to the trafficking survivors and their families, ensuring the Sailors involved are held fully accountable.

The full text of the letter is available here.

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