Ethical Census 2011

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03 April 2009

CACI International is a US-based defence contractor. From August 2003 until the early autumn of 2005 it was contracted to provide "interrogation services" for the US Army at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. While CACI staff were employed as interrogators at Abu Ghraib, prisoners were humiliated and tortured there by US military police. Photographs of the abuse shocked the world and led to the conviction of a number of low-ranking US soldiers by courts martial.

CACI denies any responsibility for the abuse that was photographed and denies some other allegations of abuse. But CACI tried for years to block lawsuits brought against it by former Abu Ghraib prisoners by claiming "official immunity."

Lawsuits brought by four former Abu Ghraib detainees are now going ahead, following a decision by a US federal court to reject CACI's claim of immunity. The former detainees say that CACI and its co-conspirators tortured them in various ways, including torture with electric shocks, beating them, keeping them naked, forcing them to engage in physical activities to the point of exhaustion, sensory deprivation, deprivation of food, deprivation of oxygen and torture with extremely hot and cold water.

CACI staff interrogated people held without charge or trial at Abu Ghraib. Prisoners they questioned were deprived of human rights guaranteed in international norms. The "rules of engagement"at Abu Ghraib permitted sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation and intimidation by dogs.

The next Scottish census will be run by CACI Ltd. CACI Ltd has been given an £18.5 million contract for key information technology work and other services for the 2011 Scottish Census. CACI Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of CACI International. That means that all the money it makes belongs to CACI International. But CACI International remains beyond the reach of Scottish and British law.

A rehearsal for the census was held on 29 March 2009 in the west of Edinburgh and in Lewis and Harris. Participation in the rehearsal was optional, although this wasn't made clear on the census forms. Around 50,000 households were scheduled to receive forms, according to the General Register Office of Scotland (GROS). CACI Ltd was responsible for printing the census forms and for developing the internet service that allowed people - for the first time in the UK - to provide census information online. GROS says that its emumerators will be calling on people in the week beginning Monday 6 April to "encourage" them to complete the forms.

The Scottish Government says it "understands the views" of people who have written to it about the contract. It says it has set up a new "contract structure" to "distance" CACI from personal data collected by the census. But it refuses to cancel the contract.

It's completely unacceptable that Scottish taxpayers are being asked to support a company that has been involved in shameful human rights abuses and is trying to use its status as a military contractor to duck accountability in US courts.

Scotland needs an ethical census. GROS says that it need people to participate in the rehearsal to help it get the census right. The census won't be right until CACI is thrown out of it. The best way to make that happen is to refuse to take part in the rehearsal..

What should the Scottish Government do?

  • The Scottish Government must cancel the census contract with CACI.
  • The Scottish Government should seek compensation from CACI for any costs incurred by cancelling the contract. It appears from material provided by the General Register Office of Scotland (GROS) in response to Freedom of Information requests that CACI failed to inform GROS adequately about its role at Abu Ghraib and about the lawsuits brought against it in the US.

What you can do

  1. Sign the online petition
  2. Spread the word - tell all your friends about CACI's role in the Scottish census and its role at Abu Ghraib:
  3. If you live in Scotland, get in touch with your MSPs and demand the cancellation of the contract. You can contact all your list MSPs as well as your constituency MSP. Contact them at www.writetothem.com

The Census Rehearsal

West Edinburgh

The West Edinburgh Census rehearsal was held in areas with postcodes beginning with EH11 1 (Merchiston), EH11 2 (Westfield/Gorgie/Dalry), EH11 3 (Broomhouse), EH11 4 (Sighthill), EH12 5 (Saughtonhall/Roseburn), EH12 6 (Murrayfield/Corstorphine) , EH12 7(Carrick Know/Broomhall), EH12 8 (Corstorphine Bank/Craigmount/Gyle), EH12 9 (South Gyle/Edinburgh Park), and EH14 4 (Riccarton)

Lewis and Harris

The Lewis and Harris Census rehearsal was held in areas with postcodes beginning with HS1 2 (Stornoway), HS2 0 (Isle of Lewis), HS2 9 (Isle of Lewis), HS3 3 (Harris) and HS5 3 (Leverburgh/Borrisdale/Rodel)

Maps

Rehearsal area maps are available on the General Register Office of Scotland (GROS) website. These maps are Crown Copyright and are subject to the terms of use of the GROS license.

SACC leaflet

Scottish Census - the database is waiting Leaflet (pdf document)
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