10 Most Unethical Business Actions
#7 Dyncorp: Reckless Chemical Usage and Sex Trafficking
Private Military Companies are most likely to become involved in unethical situations. They are paid by governments to protect certain areas, and often are considered as soldiers. The laws that apply to a PMC soldier are such that they don’t care about those who commit a crime or those who are victims of it. Dyncorp is such a medium sized PMC with revenues of $3 Billion.
Dyncorp had been employed in “Plan Colombia.” In 2001, a group of Ecuadorian farmers filed a lawsuit against the company under the Alien Tort Claims Act, the Torture Victim Protection Act and state law claims in US federal court in the District of Columbia.
The farmers claimed that, DynCorp sprayed herbicide almost daily, in a reckless manner, which had caused the deaths of four infants and other severe health problems (high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, dermatological problems). It also resulted in the destruction of the food crops and livestock of approximately 10,000 residents of the border region. The usage of herbicides was sanctioned by US congress, but the company hadn’t mapped out areas of civilian crops to avoid.
At the turn of 21st century, there came another shocking revelation from Ban Johnston that DynCorp employees and supervisors engaged in sex with 12 to 15 year old children, and sold them to each other as slaves. Ben Johnston’s revelation ended up in him being fired and later in forced protective custody. According to Johnston, girls were kidnapped by DynCorp employees from Russia, Romania and other places. The company admitted that it fired five employees for similar illegal activities, prior to Johnston’s charges.
In the summer of 2005, however, the United States Defense department drafted a proposal to prohibit human trafficking for forced prostitution and labor. Similar allegations got reported in 2009, which revealed employees hiring Afghan “dancing boys” for their pleasure.
