REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
The United Nations’ culture surrounding sexual harassment and assault is stacked against accusers and allowed perpetrators “to act with impunity,” according to a report from The Guardian. Dozens of current and former employees from 10 countries were interviewed and described pervasive silence in the organization, where accusers were ignored or feared for their jobs if they spoke out. Fifteen of those interviewed claimed they had experienced or reported sexual harassment within the past five years, ranging from “verbal harassment to rape.” The Guardian also reports that the investigations were mishandled internally in various ways, and the accused men were often allowed to remain at their posts while accusers were “forced out of their jobs or threatened.”