Debates Parlamentares - Diário 011, p. 11 (2013-12-28)

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28 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2013

I am honoured to be with you today to open this conference about such an innovative subject-matter and to

share with you my experience as a parliamentarian committed to gender equality.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has addressed several aspects which underlie the

issue of the gender dimensions of corruption: the fight against corruption, gender equality and women’s access

to decision-making bodies. I will come back to these issues later.

Are women less corrupt than men? Many studies have tried to reply to this question. But research on the gender dimensions of corruption does not offer a justification for this statement. Figures show that in countries

where the level of women representation is high, there is less corruption. But it can also be argued that women

would be as corrupt as men if workplaces and decision-making bodies comprised more women.

Personally, I think that women are less tolerant of corruption.

The reason for this is that women are more affected by corruption than men. Of course, men are also

victims of corruption. But the impact of corruption on women is tougher. Corruption deprives women from access to decision-making bodies which are led by male networks. When

elections are carried out through vote-buying, when political parties can be bought and sold, when promotion in

the economic sphere is achieved through personal connections, women have fewer opportunities to increase

their participation in the public and private sectors.

Corruption also reduces public resources and consequently the family allowances and social services from

which many women benefit as primary caretakers. The chaotic operation of public services is also a source of

corruption experienced by poor women. Corruption will be the only means for women to access public services,

for example by paying bribes for enrolling their children in schools or for receiving medical treatment.

Corruption may also lead to sexual abuse of women. Let’s face facts. We all know that when a man is asked

to pay a bribe, a woman, in particular when she is in a vulnerable economic situation, may be subject to sexual

harassment or abuse. This is a serious violation of human dignity and we should consider including sexual

extortion in the definition of corruption.

Corruption of the law-enforcement system prevents women from reporting and lodging complaints against

the acts of corruption and abuse of powers of which they are victims, in particular when they are committed by

police officers. It also deprives them of effective remedies when their rights are violated, when they are victims

of violence and abuse.

My belief is that when women finally gain access to workplaces and decision-making structures, they are

less inclined to perpetrate a practice which affected them in the first place.

Even if no causal link has been proved between gender and corruption, we can agree that women are affected harshly by corruption.

What can we do to change this situation? I’m convinced that a higher participation of women in decision-making structures may have a

significant impact on the level of corruption in our member States. In this respect, I think that the recommendation made by Transparency International to combine

empowerment of women in governance with targeted anti-corruption policies is an excellent one.

This recommendation usefully reminds us of the link which exists between gender equality, democracy and

the fight against corruption. It underlines that the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment is

essential for building an effective democracy, which is of foremost importance for fighting against corruption.

The Parliamentary Assembly has worked a lot in the fields of the fight against corruption and gender

equality, which relate to the core values of the Council of Europe of human rights, rule of law and democracy.

Fight against corruption

In the field of the fight against corruption, I would like to mention in particular the resolution adopted in 2000

on the “Role of parliaments in fighting corruption” (Resolution 1214). It underlined the crucial responsibility of

the Council of Europe, its Parliamentary Assembly and of the national parliaments in promoting good

governance and raising awareness of the dangers of corruption.

28 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2013 11 I am honoured to be with you today to open this conference about such an innovative subject-matter and to share with you my experience as a parliamentarian committed to gender equality. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has addressed several aspects which underlie the issue of the gender dimensions of corruption: the fight against corruption, gender equality and women’s access to decision-making bodies. I will come back to these issues later. Are women less corrupt than men? Many studies have tried to reply to this question. But research on the gender dimensions of corruption does not offer a justification for this statement. Figures show that in countries where the level of women representation is high, there is less corruption. But it can also be argued that women would be as corrupt as men if workplaces and decision-making bodies comprised more women. Personally, I think that women are less tolerant of corruption. The reason for this is that women are more affected by corruption than men. Of course, men are also victims of corruption. But the impact of corruption on women is tougher. Corruption deprives women from access to decision-making bodies which are led by male networks. When elections are carried out through vote-buying, when political parties can be bought and sold, when promotion in the economic sphere is achieved through personal connections, women have fewer opportunities to increase their participation in the public and private sectors. Corruption also reduces public resources and consequently the family allowances and social services from which many women benefit as primary caretakers. The chaotic operation of public services is also a source of corruption experienced by poor women. Corruption will be the only means for women to access public services, for example by paying bribes for enrolling their children in schools or for receiving medical treatment. Corruption may also lead to sexual abuse of women. Let’s face facts. We all know that when a man is asked to pay a bribe, a woman, in particular when she is in a vulnerable economic situation, may be subject to sexual harassment or abuse. This is a serious violation of human dignity and we should consider including sexual extortion in the definition of corruption. Corruption of the law-enforcement system prevents women from reporting and lodging complaints against the acts of corruption and abuse of powers of which they are victims, in particular when they are committed by police officers. It also deprives them of effective remedies when their rights are violated, when they are victims of violence and abuse. My belief is that when women finally gain access to workplaces and decision-making structures, they are less inclined to perpetrate a practice which affected them in the first place. Even if no causal link has been proved between gender and corruption, we can agree that women are affected harshly by corruption. What can we do to change this situation? I’m convinced that a higher participation of women in decision-making structures may have a significant impact on the level of corruption in our member States. In this respect, I think that the recommendation made by Transparency International to combine empowerment of women in governance with targeted anti-corruption policies is an excellent one. This recommendation usefully reminds us of the link which exists between gender equality, democracy and the fight against corruption. It underlines that the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment is essential for building an effective democracy, which is of foremost importance for fighting against corruption. The Parliamentary Assembly has worked a lot in the fields of the fight against corruption and gender equality, which relate to the core values of the Council of Europe of human rights, rule of law and democracy. Fight against corruption In the field of the fight against corruption, I would like to mention in particular the resolution adopted in 2000 on the “Role of parliaments in fighting corruption” (Resolution 1214). It underlined the crucial responsibility of the Council of Europe, its Parliamentary Assembly and of the national parliaments in promoting good governance and raising awareness of the dangers of corruption.

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