More women report KBR/Halliburton harassment, assaults in Iraq

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A woman who claims she was raped by a fellow employee while working for a US contractor in Iraq told House lawmakers that her case is far from unique. A Texas congressman agreed, saying several other women have come forward with reports of sexual harassment and assault while employed in Iraq for Halliburton's former subsidiary, KBR. The women have given lawyers and Republican Rep. Ted Poe accounts similar to the allegations of Jamie Leigh Jones of Conroe, Texas, who says she was raped in July 2005 by a co-worker who drugged her. She said she awoke groggy and confused the next morning, bleeding and bruised. She said a KBR representative kept her in a shipping container for a day so she would not report the assault. "This problem goes way beyond just me," Jones told the House Judiciary subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland security. Poe said three women - including Tracy Barker, who submitted written testimony of her account and was at the hearing - had contacted him.