Recommendations on Women Against Corruption for OGP Action Plans

Women suffer many types of discrimination – including legal, political, economic and socio-cultural forms of prejudice. It is therefore not surprising that women, and especially poor women, are particularly vulnerable to corruption.

Women also play an important role in fighting corruption. Greater participation of women in public life can help in the design of gendered approaches to anti-corruption, which can prevent corruption experienced by women in the first place and allow them to resist it, report it and seek redress when it occurs.

Corruption, whether financial or sexual, has far-reaching consequences for gender equality, sustainable development and democratic governance. Yet most states know very little about women’s experience of corruption and their role in tackling it, because it is not recognised as a priority in anti-corruption strategies, research agendas or statistical offices. The Open Government Partnership’s Break the Roles campaign aims to remedy this lack of recognition and is asking for at least 30 per cent of its members “to take meaningful action on gender and inclusion.”

This paper contains recommendations for governments serious about tackling the impact of corruption on women and ensuring their participation in anti-corruption activities.