Jaime Leigh Jones, who worked for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq, says she was gang raped by several coworkers inside the Green Zone. Jones was told that is she left Iraq for treatment she’d be out of a job both in Iraq and America. According to her lawsuit against Halliburton and its then-subsidiary KBR, Jones was raped by “several attackers who first drugged her, then repeatedly raped and injured her, both physically and emotionally.” She was then placed under armed-watch by KBR inside a shipping container for 24 hours with no food, water, or bathroom.

“It felt like prison,” says Jones. “I was upset; I was curled up in a ball on the bed; I just could not believe what had happened.” Jones was finally able to convince a guard to loan her a cell phone so she could call her father in Texas. “I said, ‘Dad, I’ve been raped. I don’t know what to do. I’m in this container, and I’m not able to leave,’” Jones said. Her father contacted Republican Congressman Ted Poe of Texas. Poe’s office contacted the State Department, and told them that Jones needed to be rescued from her American employer. Agents were then dispatched from the US Embassy in Baghdad to rescue Jones from the container.

According to an examination from Army doctors, Jones was raped both anally and vaginally, but the rape kit disappeared after it was given to KBR security officers. A spokesperson for the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security declined to comment on the matter and over two years later, the Justice Department has brought no criminal charges forward. There is actually no sign that any federal agency is investigating the case at all.

Legal experts say Jones’ alleged assailants will likely never face a judge and jury, due to an enormous loophole that has effectively left contractors in Iraq beyond the reach of United States law.

“It’s very troubling,” said Dean John Hutson of the Franklin Pierce Law Center. “The way the law presently stands, I would say that they don’t have, at least in the criminal system, the opportunity for justice.”

Congressman Poe says neither the departments of State nor Justice will give him answers on the status of the Jones investigation.

The only option Jones seems to have is in civil court, but KBR claims that Jones’ employment contract requires that her claim be heard in private arbitration. This means that there will be no public record or transcript of the proceedings. A private arbitration would be decided by a private arbitrator rather than a judge and jury. Because of this, Halliburton has won over 80 percent of arbitration proceedings brought against it.

In a statement, KBR said it was “instructed to cease” its own investigation into the case by US government authorities “because they were assuming sole responsibility for the criminal investigations.” KBR continued, “The safety and security of all employees remains KBR’s top priority. Our commitment in this regard is unwavering.” Jaime Leigh Jones has since started a nonprofit foundation called the Jamie Leigh Foundation, to help women who were raped or sexually assaulted overseas while working for government contractors or other corporations.

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