An Australian aid worker claims she was raped by a UN peace-keeper in East Timor earlier this year, but she says her initial complaints were not acted upon.
Nurse Linda O'Brien was employed by the Red Cross at the time of the alleged attack. The United Nations is now investigating the claims.
Linda O'Brien has devoted her professional life to acting as a humanitarian aid worker witnessing first-hand the aftermath of natural disasters around the globe. But she says nothing could prepare her for her ordeal in East Timor.
"He slapped me with an open hand, right hand across the left side of my face and I was terrified, she told SBS.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"I was laying there like a rigid stone with my arms braced over my head, like this. There is no way that a decent person would interpret this as a woman enjoying or concentrating to that sort of sexual penetration - no way".
Ms O'Brien says she met her alleged attacker, a United Nations peace-keeper at a dinner party in July.
She admits to letting him into her home, drinking alcohol in the hours leading up to the alleged assault and that they had earlier had sex, but it was under duress and only after he demonstrated threatening behaviour.
When he became violent and hit her, Ms O'Brien ordered the man to stop and leave her home immediately. Despite her efforts, she says he then raped her.
Twenty-eight hours after the attack, Ms O'Brien reported the incident to her Red Cross employer, who she says advised her against reporting the matter to police. Now the investigation process is stalling.
"I was begging them to approach the UN about my attack. They said it had to be handled diplomatically".
It's an allegation the Red Cross denies.
"There's absolutely no reason for the IFRC or Red Cross to hesitate in lodging a formal complaint in regard to a sexual assault. We're independent from the UN," Head of International Programs for Australian Red Cross Donna McSkimming said.
The Australian Federal Police says the complaint is a matter for the UN, as it has no jurisdiction in East Timor.
In a statement to SBS, the United Nations confirmed their investigation is active and it's being co-ordinated through its office of internal oversight.
The UN was however unable to confirm whether the alleged attacker, a peace-keeper from a South American country, has been interviewed.
"I thought to myself: 'This is what it feels like to be raped'. All the rape victims and sexual assault victims I had cared for before - I had never known what they had experienced, that this how it actually felt," Ms O'Brien said.
Ms O'Brien is yet to hear when the outcome of any investigation will be released.
