Sexual abuse rife at United Nations offices, staffers claim

A file photo of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York, on September 23, 2017 (by AFP)

Sexual harassment is widespread and there is a culture of impunity for the perpetrators at United Nations offices around the world, staffers at the world body have reportedly claimed.

The Guardian on Friday reported the results of an investigation that it carried out by interviewing dozens of current and former employees of the UN. Employees working in more than 10 countries spoke to the media outlet on condition of anonymity.

Fifteen of those questioned said they had experienced or reported sexual harassment or assault within the past five years. The alleged offences ranged from verbal harassment to rape.

Only seven of the women had formally reported what happened. Four current or recent UN employees, including some who did not pursue formal complaints, said they had not been given adequate medical care or counseling. 

Three women who reported sexual harassment or assault said they had since been forced out of their jobs or been threatened with the termination of their contract in the past year.

One of the women, who alleged she had been raped by a senior UN staff member while working in a remote location, said, “There are no other options to get justice, and I have lost my job, too.”

The victims also criticized UN authorities for letting the perpetrators walk free with impunity. They also said many of those harassed refused to report their case, fearing it might put their careers on the line.

“If you report it, your career is pretty much over, especially if you’re a consultant,” said one consultant, who alleged she had been harassed by her supervisor while working for the World Food Program (WFP). “It’s like an unsaid thing.”

The UN admitted that under-reporting is a serious concern. However, the organization’s secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has “prioritized addressing sexual harassment and upholding the zero tolerance policy.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses an event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women at United Nations Headquarters, November 22, 2017.

“I have stressed a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment at the United Nations,” Guterres said in remarks during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in November last year.

Women in the US and the UK have recently been coming forward to share accounts of sexual harassment and assault in workplaces, including in the media, entertainment industry, and political environments.

Reports of sexual abuse committed by UN officials and peacekeepers have exited in the past.

In 2015, police in India launched an investigation into claims that Rajendra K. Pachauri, the head of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sexually harassed a female employee at his institute.