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Partnership for Transparency submitted comments on the World Bank Group’s Gender Strategy 2024 – 2030: Accelerate Gender Equality for a Sustainable, Resilient, and Inclusive Future, which are available here.

Civil society anti-corruption leaders from more than 50 countries signed a letter to the World Bank in support of its ambitious Gender Strategy 2024 – 2030: Accelerate Gender Equality for a Sustainable, Resilient, and Inclusive Future. However, they warned that the goals will be unattainable without significant emphasis on anti-corruption. The World Bank’s draft gender strategy makes no mention of corruption. The civil society leaders and anti-corruption experts who signed the letter recognize that gender-based violence yields horrendous, long-term trauma for its victims and is a crucial impediment to gender equality in all areas of economic and human development. Therefore, the roles that corruption plays in this area must not be overlooked. That is why, for example, so many of the organizations whose leaders have signed the letter are implementing important anti-sextortion projects. The more than 90 individuals who are signatories include members of the Board of Directors and the Management Team of Partnership for Transparency (PTF), the leaders of PTF’s Asia and Europe affiliates, the Board leadership of Transparency International (TI), and the Executive Directors of more than 40 TI national chapters. In addition, the list of those signing the letter include anti-corruption scholars, as well as founders of such organizations as Accountability Lab; Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy, and Ethics in Nigeria; and Global Financial Integrity. The letter calls on the World Bank to deepen its partnerships with civil society activists and provide them with greater direct support, noting that their engagement is vital to secure and sustain gender rights. Further, the letter calls for the World Bank to give greater prominence in the strategy to the issue of countering gender-based violence.

The 18-month project titled Building a Coordinated Response to Prevent and Reduce Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Kishangarh Block, Ajmer, Rajasthan India, conceived and funded by PTF and IDRF, will implemented by the Centre for Advocacy and Research, India (CFAR) and aims to shape a systemic and grassroots response and solution to the issue of GBV. The overall project goal is to strengthen the readiness and capacity of the administrative and legal system and the community to develop the mechanisms including standard operating procedures and grassroots structures to address GBV in a timely and decisive way. The project aims to reach out to all women, girls, and groups affected by GBV in 33 Gram Panchayats (GPs) or Village Council of Kishangarh Block, a total population of 68,397. The project will spread awareness on law/legal recourse as well as about all the services available to those both vulnerable to and affected by GBV. Simultaneously, CFAR will identify potential change agents and leaders within the community, enable them to form Gender Forums led by women, and then support them in collectively reaching out to and engaging key stakeholders in shaping an enabling environment and key processes to both prevent and reduce GBV. These processes of both self-organizing and working with the governmental system will enable Gender Forums to collaborate with multiple levels of local service providers, duty-bearers, and decision-makers to ensure that the justice system not only becomes gender sensitive but also responsive and willing to use administrative and legal address systems. This will help to take on or neutralize local power structures set up by dominant groups and self-anointed leaders. “By facilitating the empowered grassroots groups to work with both systemic and societal stakeholders, we will ensure that the eradication of GBV becomes everyone’s business and is no more siloed into a personal or woman-alone problem,” said Akhila Sivadas, Executive Director, CFAR. To follow along with project developments join the conversation on social media: On Twitter: @PTFund / @CFAR

Gender based violence (GBV) flourishes in many parts of the world despite a wide variety of public and non-governmental efforts to combat it. One innovative solution PTF is exploring in India with the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) is the promotion of greater citizen uptake of GBV prevention and response services through greater awareness raising, social accountability activities and constructive engagement exercises. PTF and the Indian Development and Relief Fund (IDRF) are supporting CFAR for a two-year project to reduce GBV, specifically domestic violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault against women and girls, in 10 gram panchayats of the Kishangarh block of district Ajmer in Rajasthan, India. Rajasthan has for long been acknowledged to be a state where women’s low status is a cause for concern. GBV is deeply rooted and embedded in the patriarchal traditions. Gender is a structural determinant that influences and in many ways thwarts even the simplest intervention like nutrition and access to healthcare and education. Deeply engrained, adverse and harmful social norms determine what a woman and girl can or should do. Traditional authorities inhibit and deter mandated safeguards for the rights and entitlements of women, girls and marginalized groups. The project’s leading Theory of Change asserts that GBV will reduce if the rule-of-law is affirmed and upheld from the level of prevention to final dispensation of justice. This shift to right-based approach will be influenced by:1) effective citizen demand for and participation in ensuring safe environment; 2) sufficient duty bearer capacity and sensitivity to uphold the role of law and provide effective prevention and response services; and 3) effective convergence and better coordination among stakeholders to translate community voice to effective action.

In 2016, the Barry Metzger Rule of Law Initiative, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in the Balkans and the Hogan Lovells law firm partnered to develop a training project for licensed advocates and civil society organization representatives to increase the capacity of advocates to represent clients in cases involving gender-based violence and discrimination, in four countries of the Balkans region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Macedonia, and Serbia. The U.S. State Department has identified violence against women as a major human rights problem in each of the four countries. The project successfully trained over 60 licensed advocates and civil society representatives, divided among the four countries. The project consisted of the following four stages: The development of a working group within each of the four national bars and civil society organizations that focus on gender issues competent to represent victims in gender-based violence; Creation of a training program for advocates and CSO representatives that will enhance the capacity of advocates to represent the victims of gender-based violence; Collaboration among the Hogan Lovells law firm and the regional advocates and CSO representatives to support litigation and legislative reform to address gender-based violence; and Hogan Lovells provided guidance to the licensed advocates and CSO representatives in the region to support litigation and to identify gaps in local legislation and areas of legislative reform that are needed to address gender-based violence The Metzger Rule of Law Initiative brought the Partnership for Transparency Fund’s experience working successfully with civil society organizations to the gender-based training project. Experts from local civil society with gender-based experience were recruited to participate in the project. The Hogan Lovells firm made a generous commitment to provide pro bono support to develop the training, travel to the region and participate in conducting the two-day training sessions. The lawyers presented lectures on the firm’s experience providing pro bono representation of victims of gender-based violence, lectures on international tools available to enable victims to get relief, after exhausting their domestic remedies, such as the provisions of the Istanbul Convention, and participation in roundtable discussions on problems that arise in attempting to help victims of gender-based violence and gender-based discrimination. Hogan Lovells also agreed to participate in appropriate follow-on activities to support efforts for legislative change and advocate for other reform initiatives in the region. DOWNLOAD PROJECT REPORT OTHER METZGER RULE OF LAW INITIATIVE PROJECTS Review23 – Regional Rule of Law Network in the Western Balkans Regional Trial Monitoring Program in Eastern Europe

The objective of this sub-project was to reduce incidence of Gender-Based Violence in the Province of Agusan del Norte by strengthening capacities of “duty bearers” and empowering women and children “rights holders”. A community-based support system was created through this sub-project and extensive training activities were imparted at both government administrative and citizen level to gain knowledge and skills concerning gender sensitivity, leadership, advocacy, planning, budgeting and monitoring and human rights laws …

Through a small grant from the USAID/Food for Peace-funded Technical and Operational Performance Support (TOPS) Program, Land O’Lakes’ International Development collaborated with Cultural Practice, Development and Training Services, Inc. (dTS), Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF), Project …

On April 25 and 26, 2023, the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre (CAACC) hosted a symposium called “Play Your Part! Let’s Rid Africa of Corruption”. Sessions focused on individual responsibility to counter corruption, civil society engagement in the fight against corruption, the roles of civil society organizations (CSOs) and anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) in combating corruption, and information exchange on the collaborative experiences of ACAs and CSOs to prevent and address corruption. On April 25th, Partnership for Transparency (PTF) ran a session on civil society engagement. PTF Management Team Member Aileen Marshall moderated the session and PTF Advisor Hady Fink provided technical support. PTF Board Member Richard Holloway gave a presentation on the different types of CSOs and how they can be useful to ACAs. Next, there was a presentation on whistleblowers, whistleblower protection, and the roles of CSOs and ACAs by Louise Portas, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer with the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. This was followed by an interactive discussion with the participants. The session culminated with a video of CSO perspectives from Ghana, Uganda, and Zambia, which was moderated by PTF Europe Member Ina-Marlene Ruthenberg. Many thanks to Siapha Kamara, CEO, SEND West Africa; Doreen Nalunkuma, Program Officer, Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda; and Maurice Nyambe, Executive Director, Transparency International Zambia for their insightful comments. Key take-aways from the session are that CSOs and ACAs share a lot of common ground as both are concerned about improving development outcomes for citizens and much can be gained by more effective collaboration. In most instances, there is a confidence gap between CSOs and ACAs that needs to be bridged. Although, in several cases, ongoing collaboration, which is sometimes formalized through MOUs, is yielding productive results. There is willingness on the part of CSOs and ACAs to work together and share information, with CSOs acting as a connection to local communities and a channel for two-way flows of information. In particular, anti-corruption efforts need to reach disadvantaged communities and be gender-sensitive, given that women are often disproportionally affected by corruption. In addition, protection of whistleblowers is essential. Greater collaboration between ACAs and CSOs could raise community awareness of the work of ACAs, build understanding and bridge differences between ACAs and citizens, help change public perceptions, foster trust, increase advocacy for anti-corruption, maximize use of scarce resources, and help establish effective anti-corruption coalitions. UNODC provides knowledge resources and technical assistance to institute effective whistleblower provisions and protections. PTF is available to work with CSOs and ACAs on collaboration and coalition building.

Needed – Zero-Tolerance Policies for Sexual Abuses By: Frank Vogl, Board Chair, Partnership for Transparency December 12, 2022 Professor Purna Sen does not use weasel words and vague phrases when discussing sexual abuse and sextortion. She does not argue that we must seek gradual change or aim to just curb criminal practices against women that rage across the world. She says “My focus is on elimination.” It surprised me that a recent meeting of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) devoted its first session to the issue of sextortion. This is a topic that for far too long has been largely buried by humanitarian and anti-corruption organizations under the broad heading of gender issues. IFRC is seeking to break the sextortion silence. IFRC could not have chosen a better lead conference speaker than Professor Sen, Visiting Professor at the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at London Metropolitan University. Her work over many years for the United Nations and many other organizations has made her a global leader on the critical issues of gender equality, violence against women, and sexual harassment. She stressed that “for too long we have placed the greatest emphasis on responding to the crimes of sextortion, rather than on prevention.” Professor Sen called for significant cultural changes, noting that the patterns and contours of inequality relate to patterns of power, which is fundamental to the relationships between the abused and the abusers. Women Suffer Most From Corruption IFRC asked me to comment on Professor Sen’s remarks and I did with considerable trepidation. Through the lens of anti-corruption, I have been striving to understand the issue of sextortion for about 15 years, all the while sensitive to the comment made by my friend and colleague at Partnership for Transparency (PTF), Indira Sandilya, that “women experience corruption differently and disproportionately from men.” Currently, Indira is leading PTF’s collaboration with the Center for Advocacy and Research in India on a gender-based violence project in Rajasthan. According to surveys, there are large numbers of very poor women who dare not go on public transport or to the market alone for fear of being abused. In Rajasthan, as is the case in dozens of the world’s poorer countries, women who are victims of sexual abuse take grave personal risks in speaking publicly, let alone seeking to press charges against their abusers in the courts. Hundreds of millions of women across the world are too poor to buy their way out of difficult situations or finance legal action afterward. Their financial vulnerability makes them targets. These might be young women being confronted by professors at universities who demand sex for good grades, women walking the refugee trails who know the risks of encountering sexual predators, women seeking licenses and permits for small businesses, or women just striving to get employment. Quid Pro Quo While sextortion manifests itself in many ways, the common feature is quid pro quo. It is the blunt abuse of power by men who place (mostly) women in horrendous positions where to consent to the demands can shatter their lives, yet to refuse and […]

Expertise: Communications, Human Rights and Gender Equality, and Program Management