Arora Akanksha: the incident of sexual harassment by her male superior

Arora Akanksha joined Foreign Press USA and Thanos Dimadis for an interview about her campaign for Secretary-General of the U.N. Arora Akanksha is an Indo-Canadian auditor at the United Nations and candidate for U.N. Secretary-General.

Akanksha’s campaign, announced in February 2021, has drawn recent public attention due to the relative age gap between her and the incumbent, Secretary-General António Guterres. Her campaign labels her as an unconventional candidate in that she is a working-class, millennial woman. Akanksha’s campaign promises include: putting the refugee crisis to the forefront, focusing on climate change, and universal internet access. Akanksha is particularly critical of the U.N. as it is and states that the U.N. has not lived up to its promises of peace, security, and protection of human rights. Akanksha’s campaign website also points out a lack of female representation in roles of leadership at U.N. by stating that a woman has never been elected as Secretary-General. 

“At the U.N., one of my bosses actually told someone that I should change my dressing sense because ‘it’s too nice’ and ‘it’s distracting for him’. I think that’s when I felt so unsafe to be in that environment.” 

Akanksha revealed the details surrounding her experience as a woman at the UN including an incident of sexual harassment by a male superior. Akanksha felt that there was little to no adequate support from internal systems when she reported the harassment to human resources. “And I remember calling HR and I said this is--I feel really scared now going to work and what can I do? And they said ‘well you can talk to him’” said Akanksha. Akanksha expressed her reaction to the lack of support for women in the workplace.  “I think the feeling at that time was a shock, disgust, and a lot of fear.” Akanksha added that she was shocked by the suggestion that she should change how she dressed because it was distracting for a man. “I think it’s interesting how his temptation is my fault.” She felt fear because of the lack of support from the system. “I had no one to turn to.” HR suggested a hotline for reporting which told her they could start an investigation but the superior involved would be notified. She was then told that there could be no assurance for her job security. Akanksha decided the only option for her was to change offices and doesn’t know how she could have dealt with it differently within the system of the U.N. “Within the confines of U.N. culture, I don’t know. That is the system we’re left with. It’s a system that doesn’t support--that has all these policies but doesn’t support anyone.” 

“At the UN is where I have experienced discrimination based on gender.”

Akanksha states that while being raised in Saudi Arabia she was never exposed to discrimination and that she only experienced it after she joined the U.N.. “At the UN is where I have experienced discrimination based on gender. Most of the senior positions are held by males. When you go into a meeting you are specifically instructed: ‘Don’t talk, I’ll present everything, if you want to say anything pass the note to me and I’ll say it’.” Akanksha feels that there is no empowerment or even acknowledgement of her work. 

“We need another mechanism to hold them accountable to their words”. 

Akanksha expressed a need for a cultural change within the U.N. and hopes that through her candidacy she can make a difference. “Women are equal and we deserve a seat,” Arora calls for a change in the response to reports of harassment in the workplace. She believes the resolution should not be an investigation where the offender is contacted or the victim has to engage in a conversation with that person. Akanksha doesn’t think enough is being done in terms of discipline or change in the culture at the U.N.  “Shouldn’t there be a teaching, an education, that you should not look at women as objects?” Akanksha explained that the two options are to confront the harasser or go through a hotline that notifies them that you’ve lodged a complaint and that these being the only options creates a system that ends up working in the favor of the perpetrators because incidents go unreported. “There are complaints [of] sexual abuse against leaders of the U.N. and we reward them by promoting them instead of terminating them.” 

“The conversation should be around what the new U.N. should be, how do we bring a representation of different ideas on the table?”  

Akanksha talked about the discrimination she has faced since joining the U.N. and more recently since she announced her candidacy for Secretary-General. “I am facing discrimination on three levels. First as a woman. To prove in a man’s world that I belong, I’m equal, is a hurdle, and God willing if I am able to pass that hurdle. And the second hurdle is my age. To even convince people that I have the relevant experience to make a difference. We bring new ideas, and fresh perspectives which the organization needs right now. For 75 years we’ve given the profile to one type of leader. All men. All in politics. And what results have we achieved? Are we proud of the U.N. we have today?” Akanksha feels that this discrimination has been a challenge to her campaign because she is not seen as an “ideal candidate”. In order to secure her name on the ballot she has to get a nomination from a member state of the U.N. and Akanksha feels that this process is unfair.  “The nomination should be open and my voice should be given a seat at the table.” Akanksha has reached out to all member states and some small states have responded but she has gotten no responses from any members of the security council. 

Changes in the U.N. and journalism 

Before announcing her candidacy, what motivated Arora was seeing a child eat mud in Uganda. She thought it was a “devastating image” while a senior official commented, “Mud is good for children, it has iron.” Akanksha expressed her disgust towards the response and “level of apathy” shown by this leader of the U.N. but explains how this motivated her towards running for Secretary-General. Akanksha envisions a future for the U.N., one that better serves governments, people, NGOs, and the private sector. “The current Secretary-General is the 9th Secretary-General so there have been 8 reforms of the U.N. and [they] haven’t achieved any of the results of [those] reform[s]. COVID exposed us to inequalities that we knew existed but the disparity is more significant even in developed countries than we knew. Member states' needs are not being met.” Akanksha’s campaign puts an emphasis on relief for the refugee crisis worldwide, climate change, and universal internet access. 

As for journalism, Akanksha hopes to see more in-depth coverage of the U.N.. “I fully understand the constraints imposed on journalists and media outlets in terms of lack of resources, but I really want to urge there are two sides to the U.N.. There is a decision-making body that is extensively covered and there is an implementation body that people don’t talk about. I really hope that journalists take interest in that story as well.