The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday rebuffed a New York Times (NYT) report on widespread sexual harassment within IMF, claiming that harassment is not tolerated in the financial agency.

An article carried on Friday's New York Times newspaper noted that the fund is an institution whose sexual norms and customs are different from those of Washington, "leaving its female employees vulnerable to harassment."

"The days are long, and employees are regularly pressed together for weeks on end during overseas 'missions.' It is a climate in which romances often flourish, and lines are sometimes crossed. Some women avoid wearing skirts for fear of attracting unwanted attention. Others trade whispered tips about overly forward bosses," according to the report entitled "At IMF, Men on Prowl and Women on Guard."

"This is not the Fund we know and work in. Is it a perfect place? No. But this report creates an impression of institutionalized harassment and disrespect. That is not the case. Harassment is not tolerated in the institution," William Murray, an IMF spokesman, said Friday in a statement.

Murray held that the Fund's policy on harassment, including sexual harassment, is strict and consistent with best practices. " It makes clear that harassment in any form is not tolerated, constitutes misconduct, and triggers disciplinary actions up to and including termination of employment."

Under the IMF's new standards of staff conduct approved earlier this month, a close personal relationship between a supervisor and subordinate presents a potential conflict of interest and must be reported and resolved, usually by reassignment of one of the individuals to a different work unit. Failure to report and then resolve the potential conflict of interest constitutes misconduct and is grounds for disciplinary action, he added.