Asian workers accuse KBR subcontractor of holding them hostage Nick Cargo and David Edwards

Published: Wednesday December 3, 2008





Print This Email This A Kuwaiti subcontractor to American defense contractor KBR is under fire after it was discovered that about a thousand men were confined to windowless warehouses in Baghdad with no money or work.



The men, who hail from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, staged a protest of their living conditions on Tuesday. They were brought to Iraq by Najlaa International Catering Services on promises of jobs, paying middlemen over $2,000 a head and sometimes taking out loans to do so, in hopes of earning $600-$800 a month. Instead, said two Sri Lankan men, the jobs never materialized, and cramped living quarters, 12 toilets to share and meager meals instead awaited as families back home went broke and fell apart.



Najlaa contended, on questioning, that it was taking care of the men's basic needs while they wait for jobs to open up, but said that it would send them home with back pay instead. Some of the men told McClatchy that Najlaa was holding their passports, which is a violation of the United States' 2006 instructions to contractors. The living conditions, as well, appear to violate guidelines meant to deter human trafficking and abuse by recruiters and guarantee each person in such a situation at least 50 square feet of living space.



"When KBR becomes aware of potential violations of international laws regarding trafficking in persons, we work, within our authority, to remediate the problem and report the matter to proper authorities," KBR said in a statement. "KBR then works with authorities to rectify the matter."



This video is from McClatchy Newspapers, broadcast Dec. 2, 2008.









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