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Iraqis Charge Sex Abuse at British Embassy

Three say KBR contractors routinely harass, grope workers

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted May 8, 2008 9:23 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Three staff at the British embassy in Baghdad are sexually harassed, bullied, and abused, say three Iraqi ex-employees. A female cleaner and two male cooks detail a brutal work culture overseen by American contractors, according to testimony taken by the embassy and obtained by the Times of London. The cleaner attested that she lost her job after refusing to sleep with her boss.

Several contractors routinely groped staff, paid or otherwise rewarded employees who slept with them—and fired those who spoke out, say the workers. The contractor, engineering and services company KBR, also provides services to the American embassy. The British foreign office claims responsibility lies with KBR officials, whose investigation found nothing to support the complaints.

A man guards the outside entrance of the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 7, 2007. Three Iraqis have alleged abuses inside the embassy.
A man guards the outside entrance of the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 7, 2007. Three Iraqis have alleged abuses inside the embassy.   (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )
An Iraqi woman walks past the rubble of her damaged house in the Shiite enclave of Sadr city in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 21, 2008.
An Iraqi woman walks past the rubble of her damaged house in the Shiite enclave of Sadr city in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani, right, meets with British Foreign Affairs minister David Miliband, left, in the heavily secured Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 24, 2008. (AP Photo /Ali Abbas, Pool)
Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani, right, meets with British Foreign Affairs minister David Miliband, left, in the heavily secured Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 24, 2008. (AP Photo /Ali...   (AP Photo)
A soldier guards the entrance of the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 7, 2007. Three Iraqis have alleged abuses inside the embassy.
A soldier guards the entrance of the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 7, 2007. Three Iraqis have alleged abuses inside the embassy.   (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )
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Baghdad • sexual harassment • abuse • bullying • embassy • KBR • subcontractor • UK embassy in Baghdad

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