Thirty Republicans yesterday voted no on Al Franken's ( D-Mn ) bill that would have required Defense Department contractors to allow their employee's access to U.S. Courts in cases of rape and sexual assault. This bill stems from the case of Jamie Leigh Jones. She was gang raped by fellow Kellog, Brown and Root employees which is a subsidary of Haliburton and a military contractor in Iraq. KBR was part of George Bursh's attempts to privatize the military by using civillan contactors rather than the military. When Jones tried to report it she was held in a packing container for several days. She was told by KBR that because of her contract she was required to submit this to private arbitration that was binding. It was clearly an attempt to hide and bury the issue.
Most of the Republican excuses for the No votes revolved around the specious claim that the government shouldn't dictate contracts. Jeff Sessions of Alabama made the excuse that we should follow the Department of Defense's lead in this matter
While these excuses don't hold any water it does open up the much larger issue that the case of Jamie Leigh Jones forces into the light of day. Is there a culture in the military that encourages sexual assault and rape?
Penny Coleman on Alternet 10/22/09 asks if Military service turns young men into sexual predators? Her article utilizes a number of studies to investigate the incidence of sexual assault in the military.
A University of Iowa and Veterans Affairs Medical Center study involving more than 500 female vererans found that the military has identifiable risk factors for women. This study found that 70% of the 556 women in the study reported an experience of sexual harrassment. Thirty percent reported an attempted or successful rape,
Risk factors included alcohol and drug use by the assailant. Another huge factor was the behavior of superiors. Women working under superiors who made sexually demeaning comments or allowed this behavior were found to have a four times greater risk of sexual abuse and rape than those with superiors who did not condone this behavior.
Coleman's article goes on to ask if there is something about the military training, culture and experience that might be causative?
In a 2000 study of veterans in state and federal prisons and local jails it was found they were twice as likely as non veterans to be sentenced for a violent sex crime. In a 2004 survey 1 in 4 veterans in prison were there for sex crimes. The figure was 1 in 3 in military prisons compared to 1 in 10 for incarcerated non veterans.
Since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Bureau of Justice Statistics show a 42% increase in the reported incidence of domestic violence and a 25% increase in the incidence of rape and sexual assault. This mirrors statistics from World War II. The numbers decline in peace time so combat is a major factor.
When sex crimes are excluded, adult male veterans are 40% less likely to be in prison for violent crime than non veterans. In a 2007 V.A. study 45,564 women and 47,719 men whose injuries forced them to seek help, had to acknowledge being victimized sexually. Some say these numbers should be significantly higher.
It is not just KBR and other military contractors who try to hide sexual assault, rape and sexual harrassment. This seems to be a prevalent problem in the military as well. Some believe this is because we have become a culture that ldealizes violence.
Half of all recruits in a study enlisted to get away from abusive family situations. This is highly predictive of abusive behavior in the future.
These numbers indicate the problem is not about a few bad apples but a system that is throughly dysfunctional and failing. Maybe the case of Jamie Leigh Jones will force this issue out into the public eye where it belongs. This is not just about boys being boys.
Comments
Was there ever a time when a Republican looked out for a person's rights? I mean without their hand on our wallet? And this is how we protect and thank the women who die for our great country? Outrageous!!! Shame on you Jeff Sessions! Shame on all of you repugnant Republicans who voted no!
"allegedly" seems to be missing from this report, meaning the writer has tried the case and found the guilty parties. What has become of journalism?
There is no alleged to it. Physical exams have documented the assaults of not just Jamie Leigh Jones but thousands of women in the military This is a national disgrace and the Republicans played stupid ideological politics with it. No wonder only 19% of the public identifies themselves as Republicans. And your use of term alleged is part of the problem. If you are denied a trial, as Jamie Leigh Jones was because KBR claimed she had to submit to private arbitration because of a contract it leaves rapists loose to be alleged attackers repeatedly because there is never a trial.
Although the article is quite clear let me fill in some possible blank spaces. KBR is Kellog, Brown and Root a subsidiary of Haliburton and a military contractor in Iraq. KBR is part of george Bush's atempts to privatize the military by putting civilian contractors in doing many things the military used to do for itself. This was a Defense Department Contract. Jamie Leigh Jones was gang raped while employed by KBR on a Defense Department Contract. This Civilian case is similar in nature to what has been covered up by the military for decades. That is the connection.
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