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Dear
CODEPINKer,
War
is hell for everyone involved. For women, this hell can be especially
deep.
Recruiters don't tell those who enlist that 30%
of military women will be sexually assaulted while serving. Women
who work as contract employees in Iraq face similar dangers.
Jamie
Leigh Jones, a former Halliburton/KBR employee in Iraq, recently
testified at a Congressional hearing that she was drugged and brutally
gang-raped by her co-workers in 2005.
Three years later, KBR and the military have failed to punish the
perpetrators or provide redress for Jamie Leigh.
We
met Jamie Leigh in Washington and we were moved by her courage-under
tremendous pressure-to speak out publicly and start an organization,
The
Jamie Leigh Foundation,
to help other women. Since Jamie Leigh spoke
out, 38 U.S. women, all contract employees in Iraq, have
come forward to report crimes of sexual harassment and assault in
the workplace. Halliburton/KBR has failed to protect the
safety of its contract employees, and, in fact, has fostered an
environment wherein sexual violence is accepted. Moreover, the company
requires employees to sign a private arbitration agreement, forcing
them to give up their right to sue the company or have a trial by
jury.
"Halliburton
is trying to force this into a secret proceeding, which will do
nothing to prevent continued abuses of this nature,"
Jamie Leigh told Congress. "The United
States government has to provide people with their day in court
when they have been raped and assaulted by other American citizens."
Due
to Halliburton/KBR's pattern of fraudulent and abusive behavior,
including fostering a work environment conducive to violence against
its own employees, we call upon Mr. Robert Kittel, Suspension and
Debarment Official of the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency, to debar
Halliburton/KBR from future contracts in Iraq.
1.
Click
here to read Medea Benjamin's letter to Mr. Kittel and
2.
Click
here to send your own letter using our sample email.
3.
Please
also sign our petition in support of the Jamie Leigh Act of 2008,
which mandates that companies report criminal violations and provide
this information to new employees.
For
more information, please read the recent New York Times article,
"Limbo
for U.S. Women Reporting Iraq Assaults" and see
www.jamiesfoundation.org.
Thank
you for helping us hold abusive companies accountable and provide
justice to courageous women like Jamie Leigh.
Dana, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Liz,
Medea, Nancy and Rae
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 LOCAL
SPOTLIGHT:
THANK
YOU
for opening your heart and helping us shut down the war machine
last week!
CODEPINKheld
11 kiss-ins around the country on Valentine's Day with the
message Don't Enlist, Stay and Kiss... that way everybody
makes out!
In
Berkeley, CA and Gainesville, FL, peaceful kissers shut down
the recruiting stations for the day!
Click
here to see photos and news coverage of kiss-ins
in DC, NYC, Berkeley, and Pittsburgh.
Over
1,900 of you have already
signed onto our
resist military recruitment pledge, including over
800 parents and hundreds
of students!
Last
week we also sent over 130 letters
to the editor in response to the varying coverage of the action
in Berkeley. Click
here to read some of our favorites.
Bring
the spirit of Berkeley to your city by starting a Military
Recruiting Zoning Initiative in your city!
If that sounds like gibberish, stay tuned for easy recipes
for zoning recruiters away from kids in your city -- to be
posted soon on our website.
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