Ravi Karkara, senior UN adviser, accused of sexual misconduct

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At least eight men have accused an Indian-origin man, Ravi Karkara, a senior adviser to a former U.N. assistant secretary-general, of using his power and position to sexually harass them, according to an exclusive Newsweek report.

A U.N. spokesperson told Newsweek that “the U.N. has ‘a job of work to do’ to reform its culture and restore trust” as the investigation is ongoing for 13 months now.

Since then, Karkara has been on an administrative leave, though his name was not linked to the crime initially.

Some of Karkara’s victims have spoken to Newsweek about the sexual harassment and misconduct including Mandy Sanghera and Kerry Gibson, international human rights activists and U.N. Women Planet 50-50 Champions.

Steve Lee said, “the sexual misconduct accusations against Karkara include touching or grabbing a subordinate’s genitals in a hotel room, using work devices to send pornography and follow-up questions to male subordinates, creating a climate of sexual innuendo and obscene gestures in the workplace, and using his position and access as leverage to initiate sexual encounters.”

Aashish Khullar, the former organizing partner of the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, even told Newsweek that misconduct was Karkara’s modus operandi.

Read the full article here: https://www.newsweek.com/senior-un-official-investigated-sexually-harassing-male-subordinates-1059209