Addressing Sexual Corruption in Rwanda's Higher Education Institutions

As the world observes 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, sexual corruption in higher education institutions in Rwanda requires particular attention and strong actions to combat.

Rwanda has made remarkable progress in education access and gender equality. However, research by Transparency International Rwanda and the 2025 Barriers to Basics Report - Transparency International’s report exploring how corruption and discrimination limit access to education and healthcare services – reveal a disturbing reality. That is, in universities across the country, students face an impossible choice –comply with lecturers' sexual demands or watch their academic futures crumble.

Sexual corruption is the abuse of entrusted power to demand or obtain sex or acts of a sexual nature. No country is immune to this insidious form of abuse. It can occur across multiple sectors: schools, police stations, immigration centers, courthouses, healthcare facilities and workplaces – anywhere power imbalances exist.

Sexual corruption is not merely an abuse of power – it is a form of gender-based violence (GBV) that exploits the same structural inequalities that enable domestic abuse, sexual assault and harassment, and can cause physical harm and lasting psychological trauma. It disproportionately targets women and girls, who exist within broader societal structures that already diminish women's authority and autonomy.

The coercion tactics of sexual corruption mirror those in other recognised forms of GBV, including threats to livelihoods, isolation and economic control. Sexual corruption creates impossible binds where victims must choose between their bodily autonomy or their education, employment and future. The psychological harm of sexual corruption – including dropping out of school or work, mental health problems, decreased credibility in communities and forgoing public services to avoid further abuse – is equally characteristic of GBV.

In higher education, sexual corruption thrives in an environment where individuals control both grading and grade entry into university systems. This concentration of power creates opportunities for abuse that disproportionately harm women, who comprise only 34% of students and 25% of academic staff at institutions like the University of Kigali.

"Jovia," a first-year university student from Rwanda, described how her lecturer demanded her phone number and began making romantic advances. When she blocked him, he retaliated by publicly shaming her, ejecting her from class and denying her access to exams. "Male students, fearing failure, could pay him money to pass the course," Jovia explained. "For female students, however, if the lecturer sought sexual favors, there was no alternative.”

Transparency International Rwanda's research shows higher learning institutions rank second highest for gender-based corruption at 42.6%, trailing only the private sector. The impacts extend far beyond academic delays – students report depression, anxiety and lasting trauma that affect every aspect of their lives.

These aren't isolated incidents, but rather part of a broader issue where sexual corruption – and the insidious entangling of corruption and gender-based violence – deprive people of their rights, livelihoods, and, sometimes even, their lives.

Rwanda's 2018 Law on Fighting Against Corruption explicitly criminalises sexual corruption with prison terms of 5-10 years – yet enforcement remains rare. Analysis of conviction lists shows monetary bribes and embezzlement frequently cited, but soliciting sexual favors almost never appears.

Only when "Jovia" confided in her father, who involved Transparency International Rwanda and the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, did justice prevail – resulting in a rare five-year conviction for her lecturer.

Since Transparency International Rwanda's groundbreaking work, awareness has grown. The Office of the Ombudsman established victim support helpdesks, and some universities have adopted dedicated anti-harassment policies. Anti-Corruption Clubs in universities now empower student-led advocacy, while media partnerships bring hidden abuses into public discourse.

Yet cultural stigma rooted in gender norms continues to frame sexual harassment discussions as taboo, with victim-blaming shifting focus from perpetrators' wrongdoing to victims' perceived "moral failings." Religious and moral teachings, when interpreted narrowly, reinforce silence over disclosure.

During these 16 Days of Activism, we must recognise sexual corruption as gender-based violence. Students need independent reporting mechanisms, neutral parties handling grade entry, confidential counseling, and proportionate sanctions for perpetrators including dismissal and potentially criminal prosecution. Victims of sexual corruption need safe and confidential access to mental health, legal and other support services. And we all need to break the silence that makes it easy for perpetrators of sexual corruption to go unchallenged and unpunished.

Rwanda's legal framework could model global change – but only if backed by enforcement that matches its ambition. For countless students facing impossible choices, stronger action isn't just needed – it's overdue.