KIGALI, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- A report conducted by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has pointed to continuous incidents of gender-based corruption in Rwanda's public work places.
The research was conducted in 120 public institutions with 1300 respondents. 65.3 percent of respondents had encountered gender-based corruption in higher institutions of learning, which accounts for the highest rate in public work places, said the report released here on Friday.
The rate stands at 63.4 percent in the local government, 52.8 percent in public hospitals and 50.9 percent in the judiciary, according to the report.
The watchdog said in the report that 48.5 percent of the respondents argued that gender-based corruption was mostly due to sexual immorality while 33.3 percent believed that it was due to lack of a transparency in employees promotion which exposes female employees to sexual advances.
The report said that gender-based corruption is escalated by lack of streamlined system for sending employees to working trips, lack of transparence in staff recruitment, poverty, lack of personal confidence and employees ignorance of their rights.
The report further revealed that more than 50 percent of victims of gender-based corruption experienced sexual advances from people in senior management positions.
Of the respondents that were interviewed, 52 percent did not report, 28.9 percent lacked sufficient evidence to support their complaint, 21.6 percent believed that reporting could not change the status quo while 12.7 percent believe it was acceptable conduct.
Reacting to the report, Rwanda's Deputy Ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting corruption Clement Musangabatware encouraged women to report gender-based corruption in order to prevent impunity.
