Scenario: Sleepless in the Rubble

Group Size: 4-15

Scenario

“Some of the augmentees that arrived last week were really noisy and it kept me awake for hours,” says Captain (Capt) Leanne Piper to her colleague Capt Brad Miles. “They were laughing, knocking things over and swearing at each other. I don’t think they were drunk, just noisy.”

Both captains are Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) logistics officers who deployed with a significant number of Canadian soldiers to a small developing country that recently suffered from a devastating natural disaster. They are helping to coordinate aid delivery with other international agencies.

“Actually, Leanne, they were probably coming back from prowling around downtown,” suggests Capt Miles.

“What do you mean? The bars and clubs haven’t reopened since the tsunami four weeks ago,” asks Capt Piper.

“Well, the bars may still be closed, but I hear that the local cathouses are open for business,” says Capt Miles.

Capt Piper is not surprised that prostitution occurs here and gathers that many women could be forced into it. She mentioned this to one of the local translators hired to work at the camp and learned that some brothels employ many young women. It’s common knowledge in the community that soldiers from the camp frequent the establishment and she has personally seen them.

Capt Piper is concerned that CAF soldiers are contributing to the sexual exploitation of these women and feels something must be done. She approaches her colleague, Capt Rick Truong, with her concerns.

“Leanne, you’re overreacting,” says Capt Truong. “This is just normal guy stuff, male needs, whatever you want to call it.”

“Whether our soldiers are allowed to or not, if they are participating in this activity, don’t you think the Canadian public would be concerned too?” asks Capt Piper. “We’re here to deliver aid and help rebuild this country. Paying the local women for sex certainly doesn’t contribute to a healthy society. My translator told me that some of these women are really young.”

“OK, I see your point Leanne, but if you pursue this issue, don’t expect that it’ll be well received,” he says.

Capt Piper wonders what she should do now.

Categories

• Principles: Respect the Dignity of all Persons, Serve Canada before Self, Obey and Support Lawful Authority
• Values: Integrity, Stewardship, Excellence, Courage
• Cultural themes: Service, Identity, Leadership
• Misconduct types: General Misconduct
• GBA Plus themes: Gender, Geography
• Audience: Canadian Armed Forces

Facilitator’s Guide

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the ethical principles “Respect the Dignity of all Persons,” “Serve Canada before Self” and “Obey and support Lawful Authority” in this situation.
• Discuss the ethical values of integrity, stewardship, and courage in an operational setting.

Facilitation Questions

1. What would you do in this situation? What are the considerations?
   • Allow open discussion from the group.
   • Ethical concerns: Canada is a leader in gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It has made commitments to work against sexual exploitation and abuse in the context of this scenario. Further, there could be legal and ethical consequences in the country where they are located. As well this activity is illegal in Canada.
   • Personal factors: Capt Piper seems to be the only one who recognizes that this activity is a problem and that it needs to be addressed. There has also been an insinuation that if she does report it, it may not be well-received.
   • Environmental factors: Exploiting these young women is not correct as it does not encourage a healthy society and undermines the mission to deliver aid and help rebuild the country. It also undermines Canada’s credibility and commitments internationally, including as part of Canada’s National Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace, and Security.
2. What is the ethical dilemma in this situation?
   • This is an uncertainty dilemma, where the right thing isn’t clear but there is certainty that the choices aren’t as simple as choosing between right and wrong.
   • Consider the elements of group think and group cohesion in this situation as well as ethical leadership.
   • Capt Piper intuitively knows it is wrong for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members to be using the brothels while on a deployment to deliver aid but is not sure whether to report it since everyone else seems to think it can be attributed to normal male behaviour.
3. What are some potential courses of action that Capt Piper could take in this scenario? What should she choose to do?
   • Option 1: Report the concerns to the proper authorities and accept the fact there may be consequences if it is not well-received.
   • Option 2: Follow the advice she has been given to ignore the activity and accept it as the norm.