Widespread corruption and deteriorating economy have contributed to rise in
sexual bribery.
Zimbabwe has recorded an unprecedented number of women reporting being
forced to exchange sex for employment or business favours.
More than 57% of women surveyed by Transparency International Zimbabwe
(TIZ) said they had been forced to offer sexual favours in exchange for jobs,
medical care and even when seeking placements at schools for their children.
The report, found women in the informal sector experienced sextortion as
the main form of non-monetary bribes by various officials.
About 45% of women said they had received requests for sexual favours to
access a service and 15% had used sex to get employment. The report, entitled
Gender and Corruption, found women were increasingly vulnerable to sexual abuse
amid the deteriorating Zimbabwean economy.
“57.5% of these respondents noted that sexual favours are the form of
non-monetary bribe they had experienced. Sextortion is thus a part of the
bribery culture in Zimbabwe. Women who do not have money to pay for bribes are
thus forced to use sex as a form of payment. 15% used employment favours as a
form of bribery,” reads the report.
Women in business were also found to have faced sexual harassment when
seeking government tenders.
Studies carried out by TIZ in 2019 showed women are vulnerable to sexual
abuse when seeking land for residential, business or agricultural use.
Sextortion is a global phenomenon that causes serious harm, robbing women
of dignity and opportunity, and undermining confidence in public institutions,
according to rights groups.
Zimbabwe ranks 158 out of 180 countries included in the Transparency
International corruption perceptions index.
The study shows women are being coerced into corruption, while many fear
reporting sextortionists as some police are thought to be part of the
corruption chain.
Although Zimbabwe has made progress in advancing gender equality through
the establishment of various institutional, legal and policy frameworks, the
country still ranks low on the UN gender inequality index. Sexual extortion is
rarely recognised as a form of corruption, yet gender activists say it reduces
women’s access to land and markets and reinforces social and economic
marginalisation.
Lack of political will to deal with corruption has frustrated the efforts
of the Zimbabwe anti-corruption commission, which has a mandate to investigate
corruption cases in the country.
