"The United Nations has allowed sexual harassment and assault to flourish in its offices around the world, with accusers ignored and perpetrators free to act with impunity, the Guardian has been told.
Dozens of current and former UN employees described a culture of silence across the organisation and a flawed grievance system that is stacked against victims.
Of the employees interviewed, 15 said they had experienced or reported sexual harassment or assault within the past five years. The alleged offences ranged from verbal harassment to rape.
Seven of the women had formally reported what happened, a route that campaigners say is rarely pursued by victims for fear of losing their job, or in the belief that no action will be taken.
'If you report it, your career is pretty much over, especially if you're a consultant,' said one consultant, who alleged she was harassed by her supervisor while working for the World Food Programme. 'It's like an unsaid thing.'...
Three women who reported sexual harassment or sexual assault, all from different offices, said they had since been forced out of their jobs or threatened with the termination of their contract in the past year. The alleged perpetrators, who include a senior UN official, remain in their posts.
One of the women, who alleges she was raped by a more 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.'...
One woman allegedly assaulted while working for the UN says she was told by her agency's ombudsman that there was nothing more he could do to help her pursue a complaint, because he was being threatened by senior UN staff. Seven other alleged victims who spoke to the Guardian were told by an ombudsman or colleague that they should not try to pursue a complaint...
Peter Gallo, a former OIOS [office of internal oversight services] investigator who left the UN in 2015, said he witnessed evidence being routinely ignored and facts skewed. 'As an investigator I was told I should 'never ask questions just to satisfy my curiosity,' he said. 'The only rule is not to publicly embarrass the organisation.'..."