Another example of Man’s Inhumanity to (Wo) Man, and all with the
complete support and blessing of our president.
We can’t have rape victims blabbing now, can we? It might make us look bad!
After rape victim used cell phone to call for help,
KBR bans use of personal phones in Iraq
This weekend, defense contracting giant KBR announced it would ban the use of personal cell phones by its employees in Iraq, citing no specific reason. Though KBR has not indicated the ban is related to the numerous allegations of rape of female KBR employees by their male coworkers, the ban could endanger future victims. Jamie Leigh Jones, the first victim to come forward publicly, explained that after she was gang-raped by coworkers and held in a shipping container for days,
“she convinced a sympathetic guard to loan her a cell phone so she could call her father in Texas.”
Rape in the military: Female troops deserve much better
More than 59,000 female troops have been deployed overseas to support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have flown combat missions, served on ships and, in 12 cases, died in Iraq — stark evidence of the equality women have attained as soldiers.
Yet, when several reported sexual assaults in the combat zone during the past year, equal treatment vanished. They say their complaints were ignored or spurred mistreatment by male superiors.
Thirty-seven women who have served in Iraq and Kuwait in recent months have reported to a civilian group that they were sexually assaulted by fellow troops or superiors during their assignments overseas. They or their families contacted the Miles Foundation, a Connecticut-based organization known for championing the cause of abused military women.
While the foundation has declined to release details of the incidents, it said some women felt that they had been doubly victimized: first by attackers in their own ranks and then by shoddy military treatment. They complained that the military failed to provide basic services available to civilians who have been raped, from medical attention to criminal investigations of their charges, according to Kate Summers, Miles’ director of victim services.
CONTINUED http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-02-05-our-view-usat_x.htm