Sex jokes top harassment list at UN – survey

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UNITED NATIONS — A survey of sexual harassment within the far-flung United Nations system found a third of respondents experienced at least one incident in the last two years — most commonly sexual stories or jokes that were offensive.

The online survey conducted by the consulting company Deloitte in November was sent to all U.N. staff, temporary personnel and contractors around the world. It got 30,364 replies — or about 17 percent of those polled.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to U.N. staff obtained Wednesday that the “moderately low” response tells him that “we still have a long way to go before we are able to fully and openly discuss sexual harassment.”

He said there also might “be an ongoing sense of mistrust, perceptions of inaction and lack of accountability.” /cbb