UNAids staffer who reported sexual assault at a Bangkok hotel loses dismissal case

A former policy advisor for a United Nations programme fighting AIDS, who claims she was sexually assaulted in a Bangkok hotel elevator by a then-senior official for the agency and was later fired after going public with the accusations, lost her appeal against her termination from UNAids.

The 41 year old Martina Brostrom from Sweden says she was sexually assaulted in 2015 by the then-UNAids deputy executive director in a Bangkok hotel elevator. She went public in 2018, saying Luiz Loures groped her in the elevaotr and tried to drag her to his room. Luiz denies the accusations.

In December 2019, Martina was fired for sexual and financial misconduct. She claims the dismissal was actually retaliation for going public with the sexual assault allegations.

The Global Board of Appeal of the World Health Organisation overseeing the UNAids wrote a response to Martina’s appeal, which was obtained by Reuters, saying “The Panel concluded that the misconduct of the Appellant was established and did not find an error of fact or law in the findings of misconduct.”

Martina was also refused a copy of an internal investigation into her alleged assault. She told Reuters reporters that she feels “fooled by the system.”

“I am appalled that they reject any link between my harassment claim and my dismissal and that they refused to provide me with a copy of the report of the investigation.”

SOURCE: Reuters