Civil society and media practitioners must intensify efforts against corruption’s gender dimensions, particularly sextortion, according to the head of Transparency International Ghana.
Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director of the organization formerly known as Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), delivered the call during a capacity-building workshop for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and journalists focused on anti-corruption strategies and gender-related corrupt practices. The training forms part of a European Union (EU) supported governance project being implemented across 60 districts nationwide, with backing from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and SECU, coordinated by GIZ as lead agency.
“We are strengthening the rule of law and anti-corruption structures in Ghana, and as part of that process, we are working with various partners to actualise these interventions,” Addah explained. She emphasized that the programme extends beyond single events, representing a sustained capacity-building initiative designed to equip participants to advocate for vulnerable populations and actively denounce corruption.
The workshop placed substantial emphasis on sextortion, which Addah described as a corrupt act that violates victims’ fundamental rights and dignity. She outlined how corruption intersects with human rights abuses through examples including judges accepting bribes to manipulate legal outcomes, contractors delivering substandard infrastructure after illicit payments, and job seekers being coerced into sexual favours in exchange for employment opportunities.
“These practices deny people their fundamental rights and destroy futures,” Addah stated, warning that gendered corruption operates as a silent killer embedded within cultural norms. She stressed that open dialogue remains essential to confronting and dismantling these harmful practices, noting that silence allows corruption to become endemic.
Sabastien Ziem, Chief Investigator of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in the Upper West Region, reinforced the need for stronger collaboration with media stakeholders. He acknowledged that while CHRAJ has traditionally addressed conventional corruption issues such as bribery and facilitation payments, the engagement brought critical attention to sextortion as an overlooked concern.
According to Ziem, vulnerable groups including women and young girls seeking employment or services from mandated institutions face sextortion but rarely report incidents due to cultural barriers and fear. He expressed confidence that joint efforts between CHRAJ, civil society and media will amplify awareness, encourage reporting and strengthen protections for vulnerable populations.
Prosper Kuorsoh, Upper West Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), commended Transparency International Ghana for fostering collaboration between CSOs and media practitioners. He argued that such partnerships prove essential for building corruption-free societies where national resources benefit citizens equitably, noting that civil society often possesses information unavailable to journalists.
The four-district engagement in the Upper West Region represents one component of the broader 60-district initiative aimed at embedding anti-corruption mechanisms and empowering local stakeholders to challenge corrupt practices systematically.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
