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Skriv utThere has been much discussion in the Swedish media since the head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was charged with attempted rape. Most of what has been said has been on the theme of “men, power and sex”, where many people have misunderstood the concepts and revealed their own undeveloped views and prejudices. Let’s start with “power”. More about the notion of “sex” will come later.
Strauss-Kahn is a white male with immense power and high status. This can be seen in that when talking about the rape allegations he is described as both a womaniser and a “great seducer” in the same sentence where he is said to be unable to “keep his hands to himself”. His “touching up” is viewed with a kind of indulgence. It seems to confirm that he is not merely a seducer; he’s a “great seducer”. This indulgence is, of course, because he is seen as a nice guy with a sense of decency. It’s what we have seen in the Assange case, among others.
A woman who falls victim to this kind of man is less likely to be believed than a woman who is the victim of a less popular person who is lower down the hierarchy. A woman who falls victim to this kind of man clearly runs the risk of seeing a whole nation turn against her and of being indirectly accused of risking the economy and stability of the entire world or, as in the Assange case, freedom of expression. That is a huge burden to bear. And that is exactly why saying what happened and reporting it is so brave.
Being able to subject another person, for example a hotel maid, to acts of violence and cruelty and know that “absolutely no-one will believe her and she will be accused of being part of a conspiracy” is both the result and an expression of power. A discussion of how this power affects credibility has been noticeably absent from the media.
So to the question of sex. On the 15th of May, the Swedish paper Dagens Nyheter reported the allegations against Strauss-Kahn under the title “Emergency Euro meeting surrounded by sex scandal”, the same approach that Dagens Nyheter used in its reporting of Tiger Woods’ infidelity. On the same day, the business section of the Swedish paper Svenska Dagbladet wrote that a new biography makes “no secret of the fact that the top politician and IMF boss often hits on women”.
What are the writers of these articles actually saying? Is “hitting on” another term for “sexually harass”? If not, why is this information relevant when reporting suspicions of sexual abuse, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment?
A report in Swedish state radio’s programme Studio One on the Strauss-Kahn case was given the title ”Men, power and sex”, despite the fact that we are talking about suspected attempted rape. “Men, power and violence” would have been more appropriate. The choice of words is, as we have pointed out, important. “He’s had a reputation as a ladies’ man, but now he’s accused of forcing himself on a woman,” says the Studio One presenter. What does it matter whether Strauss-Kahn is considered a ladies’ man or not? A large part of the report concerns the rumours surrounding Strauss-Kahn. The author and journalist Bim Clinell likens the fact that female journalists prefer not to meet him alone because they are afraid of being “touched up” with the alleged “romances” of other powerful men.
Exactly what is meant by “touched up” is not explained in detail but it can only be interpreted as sexual harassment or other forms of sexual molestation. Neither are we told what Clinell means by “romances”. She appears to be thinking of extra-marital activities. If that is the case, what has it got to do with Strauss-Kahn’s infamous sexual harassment? Or is “romances” another term for sexual harassment? Or sexual abuse? Use language we understand! Sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and rape are crimes and have nothing to do with being unfaithful, having several sexual partners or flirting, none of which is a crime.
Failing to differentiate between perpetrators and seducers is devastating. Insinuating in this way that an alleged molestation is an expression of some sort of misdirected attention or flattery serves only to totally humiliate the victim. Call things by their proper names and distinguish between sexual relations (or infidelity) and crime!
Carina Ohlsson, Chairperson, The Swedish Association of Womens’s Shelters and Young Women’s Empowerment Centres, SKR
Olga Persson, Secretary-General, The Swedish Association of Womens’s Shelters and Young Women’s Empowerment Centres, SKR
