Miami Accident Lawyer Blog
MIAMI, FL—June 06, 2011 – Citing recent cases of sexual assaults on hotel maids, two New York City hotels have decided to offer their housekeepers panic buttons as a means of protecting them from potentially violent guests. According to Reuters, the Manhattan-based Sofitel hotel, where International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn allegedly sexually assaulted a chambermaid during his stay, and The Pierre hotel, where the former chairman of one of Egypt’s main banks, Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar attempted to rape a housekeeper, plan to give their employees panic buttons so they have the ability to contact hotel security if they find themselves in danger.
Even the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council has reportedly taken the initiative to begin petitioning for a law that would require all New York hotels to provide their employees with panic buttons. According to the Miami injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, who specialize in cases of on-the-job rape and sexual assaults, a nationwide law mandating the use of panic buttons in hotels could be extremely conducive in the fight against workplace violence.
Bureau of Justice Statistics indicated that of approximately 36,500 workplace victimizations reported on an annual basis, 2.1 percent consisted of cases in which employees became victims of workplace sexual assault or rape.
Additionally, statistics provided by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) suggested that only about 40 percent of all rape cases are ultimately reported to police. If a rape victim does indeed report their case to authorities, there is only a 50.8 percent chance that the attacker will be arrested.
Furthermore, while there is an 80 percent chance that the offender will be prosecuted in the case, there remains only a 58 percent chance of conviction and a 69 percent chance that the assailant will be sentenced to time in jail.
About the Miami Sexual Assault Lawyers and Personal Injury Attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
Working closely with advocacy groups such as the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), the Miami sexual assault attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz are dedicated to protecting and enforcing the rights of rape and sexual assault victims. With more than 30 years of experiencing litigating a variety of complex injury and assault claims, the Florida injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. will fight to help victims of sexual assault and rape obtain the justice a compensation they deserve.