n a bid to increase women representation and effective participation of women leaders in public administration and civil society organisations, Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) with support from Hivos mobilised 20 women leaders to participate in the 10th NGO Directors Summer School. This intervention is anchored on increasing women’s effective participation through capacity building and providing support for exposure visits to learn from best practices.
In that regard, the NGO Directors Summer School offered the Board Chairperson of WCoZ, Rinika Mumbire, an opportunity to explore the importance of fighting corruption through strategies such as exposing all local, national, regional occurrences of fraud, corruption and illicit flows of resources, together with any actions which point towards the capture of public institutions for purely private illicit and fraudulent interests.
She was guided by the topic “Winning the fight against corruption – roadmap to Zimbabwe’s transformation”.
Mumbire highlighted that a study by the World Bank titled Corruption and women in government concluded that higher rates of female participation in government are associated with lower levels of corruption. Women have higher ethical behavior and appear to be more concerned about common good.
“While women are less involved in corruption themselves, they are more disadvantaged from the consequences of a corrupt system themselves,” she said.
Mumbire added that corrupt systems reinforce existing gender discrimination especially regarding inheritance, property rights and financial independence. Corruption in revenue systems reduces revenue, exposes women to abuse and affects income and livelihoods of women.
To curb the capture of public institutions Mumbire proposed increased participation of women in decision making, capacitation of women to hold decision making positions, addressing the deep roots of corruption, offering free legal aid to victims of corruption as well as acknowledging presence and functions of structures such as Anti-Corruption Commission.
She emphasized that fighting corruption is key in achieving vision 2030.
WCoZ mobilised women from Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau, Women’s Space, Shamwari yemwana Sikana, Imba Mukadzi, Zimbabwe’s Women’s Resource Center Network, Gender Peace and Security Networks, Zimbabwe Young women For Peace Network, Tony Waite, DP Foundation, Emthonjeni Women’s Forum, Girls Women and Empowerment Network, Proweb, Young Women Christian Association, The Foundation project Trust, Female Prisoners Trust, Women Development Association in Zimbabwe, Life Health and Education, J.M Busha 54 Races and Kastwe Sisterhood.
