what about the woman dsk allegedly raped?

[niyad]

What about the Woman Strauss-Kahn Allegedly Raped?
by Tiffany Williams

As details emerge in the case of International Monetary Fund chief and alleged rapist Dominique Strauss-Kahn, my eye is on how his wrecked political clout is getting all the attention. The brutal assault of a hotel housekeeper that Manhattan District Attorney Artie McConnell described yesterday to a judge, who subsequently ordered that the IMF's managing director be held without bail at the Rikers Island jail complex? Not so much.

. . . .

As this story develops, it's all about Strauss-Kahn, instead of the woman (so far unidentified), who accuses him of brutally attacking her. At her workplace. This woman, who was cleaning a $3,000-per-night hotel suite, is a human being. She deserves compassion as the global punditocracy conjectures about what's going happen to the IMF without that French "rockstar" at its helm.

My work focuses on the trafficking and exploitation of immigrant domestic workers. Of course, I'm reading the news coverage with interest. Over the past days, I have been watching how HER story is covered, in light of her occupation, ethnicity (reporters say that she's an African immigrant), and status as a crime victim. Usually, housekeepers are treated as silent, anonymous machines of the household, hotel, or office building, if they're noticed at all. But surely a vicious attack would shed light on the fact that this is a real person…right?
. . . . .

Statistics about the frequency of sexual assault of hotel maids are difficult to find, but here's what I know about New York City's household workers, from a 2006 report by the Data Center and Domestic Workers United: "Thirty-three percent of workers experience verbal or physical abuse or have been made to feel uncomfortable by their employers. One-third of workers who face abuse identify race and immigration status as factors for their employers’ actions." What we do know about the conditions of hotel housekeepers is that immigrants comprise the majority of that workforce, as do women of color, and that their workplace is dangerous on its own, let alone with the additional risk of sexual assault. Rushing to keep up with demand, hotel housekeepers have an injury rate 40 percent higher than workers in the overall service sector.

. . . .

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/05/17-13

[hlthe2b]

1. I am sympathetic to the point made... But

it seems that the more reporting that is done and more attention given to the victim, the more likely it is that she will be identified. I should hope that that underlies most of the decisions to avoid focusing on her plight....:shrug:

[niyad]

2. would hope that you are correct, but truly doubt it.

[TheMadMonk]

3. Rosy glasses much? What we know of the way the MSM behaves...

...doesn't make your wishful thinking very likely at all.

My take is that the media knows exactly who she is, and is complying with any suppression orders, simply because right now they don't have sufficient dirt to smear on the victim to make any violation worth the penalty. Right now she's more valuble to the PTBs as a faceless accuser, to play against the maligned head of a wondeful philanthropic organisation.

If she's the least bit "tainted" and the muckrakers can find the taint, her name and "crimes" will be exposed for all to see in very short order.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. The New York Post is already (falsely) claiming her housing is reserved for HIV-positive tenants

See http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/05/18/break-out-the-rusty-pitchforks/

What with details of her country of origin, the age of her daughter, the area she lives in and even the floor of her apartment, they've identified her to anyone who already knows her. Her anonymity has been trashed by that paper, and maybe others, within a few days.

[TheMadMonk]

5. I saw that. But AIDS just doesn't have the stigma attached to it...

...any more to carry much weight on its own. Nowadays it pretty much has to be used concsiously as a weapon, or at least be attached to deliberately reckless behaviour, before the public pays it much attention.

And unfortunately that sort of violation of anonymity isn't quite illegal, provided the general public can't figure it out without access to further, generally unavailable information. The greater onus will always fall upon those who assemble the information alongside their own personal knowledge. Once one of those "leaks", the media is off the hook.

[steve2470]

6. The French media have already outed her.

Sad but true.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. True, but her details in the media her acquaintances are likely to see are more important

If people want to find her identity, they can now search the internet and find her name from the French. Post readers are getting all the clues just from their own coverage, without international help that they'd only see if they looked for it.

[reggie the dog]

9. french press was citing the new york post but

by last night our right wing "figaro" paper said that earlier claims that she had aids were unfounded. what say the press in the states?

[steve2470]

11. so far I have not seen any American media identify her, which is how it should be nt

[hlthe2b]

12. Can't you simply disagree-- without being so snide....?

:shrug:

[reggie the dog]

8. why not leave the victim alone and respect her privacy?

if dsk is found guilty i hope she remembers that he is rich and sues his ass in civil court too.

[Broderick]

10. +1