Rape Victim Uses Cell Phone to Call for Help, Employer Subsequently Bans Cell Phones
Over the weekend, defense contractor KBR made the announcement that it was banning the use of personal cell phones by employees in Iraq. KBR has not said that the ban is related to the numerous allegations of rape by female KBR employees by their male co-workers. They have not, however, cited any reason for the ban other than it being a "security issue", and the timing is certainly curious. Furthermore, it could potential endanger future victims.
Jamie Leigh Jones is the first alleged victim to come forth publicly. As she explains, she was gang-raped in 2005 by her male Halliburton/KBR co-workers, and then held in a shipping container for days so that she would not squeal and tell anyone what had happened. Her job was also threatened if she sought medical treatment or told anyone what occurred. As her story goes, she was able to convince a sympathetic guard to loan her a cell phone so that she could call her father in Texas.
Jamie Leigh Jones testified before the House Judiciary Committee in December 2007, and told of her ordeal. Jones also says that she has been contacted by over 11 other women who said that they too were assaulted in Iraq. She alleges a cover-up by the US government.
A State Department diplomat was able to recover the rape kit from Halliburton and KBR in May 2007, but notes and photographs taken of Jones the day following the rape were missing, which has undermined any chance of bringing the case to criminal court.
Houston-based KBR split off from Halliburton in 2007.
Comments
KBR cell phones
I know the story of the rapes and un-accountability of contractors and that is very sad, but I have a terrible gut feeling that the ban on cell phones may be more related to bombing Iran in the next few days...
KBR Personal Cell Phone Ban
The theory that OPSEC may have been breached would be valid if it were a directive from the Military. However, you are talking about a company whose management would make Saddam Hussein proud with their tactics of isolation, threats and control. If there were a real and imminent danger to personnel all cell phones would be banned for military and civilian alike and it would not be just personal cell phones. The military also monitors these communication devices but KBR cannot. KBR does monitor all of the phone systems on their network and in fact have used threats against personnel for calling the Ethics Hotline. One manager went so far as to The theory that OPSEC may have been breached would be valid if it were a directive from the Military. However, you are talking about a company whose management would make Saddam Hussein proud with their tactics of isolation, threats and control. If there were a real and imminent danger to personnel all cell phones would be banned for military and civilian alike and it would not be just personal cell phones. The military also monitors these communication devices but KBR cannot. KBR does monitor all of the phone systems on their network and in fact have used threats against personnel for calling the Ethics Hotline. One manager went so far as to take away business computers from employees, because personnel were contacting Houston Corporate to report his and his cronies incompetence and ineptitude.
This is nothing more than a thinly guised effort to cutoff communication and an attempt to keep their (management's) dirty little secrets under the rug.
The military personnel in Iraq are known to commonly refer to KBR as Kickbacks Bribes and Retribution.
KBR Cell Phones
This reads like a last-minute, 6th grade homework assignment. There's a war going on, hello? People are making remote controls for bombs out of cell phones, and you think that they've been banned to make it easier to rape women? Wow...now I've heard it all.
KBR Cell Phones
guest wrote: "People are making remote controls for bombs out of cell phones,"
So KBR employees are likely making bombs out of their cell phones? I guess KBR employees want to do more than rape women.
KBR Cell Phones
Yeah, like getting themselves killed? I guess in addition to being perverts and rapists, they're all a bunch of suicidal maniacs, too... Yeah, that makes the most sense.
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