Let’s spend a night together; i will increase your salary: an analysis of sextortion phenomenon in Rwandan society

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sextortion as a severe form of sexual harassment, has always constituted a persistent social phenomenon that undermines gender equality in different societies. However, sextortion remains an under-researched field in many countries, especially in the non-Western world. Informed by feminist theories, this study analysed the causes and consequences of sextortion in Rwanda. A mixed-methods design was applied with qualitative data being collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with 150 respondents. Data analysis was inspired by a qualitative approach of thematic analysis. Emergent themes from the interviews were identified and coded using NVivo software, while SPSS software was useful to generate descriptive statistics in order to characterise the data set based on its properties. Key findings include the dearth of reporting cases of sextortion and its laws; persistence of patriarchal system; gender income inequality and an increase in the unemployment rate as the main causes of sextortion. The decline of victims’ economic status; psychological and health problems; an increase of gender inequality and domestic violence; a decrease of productivity and credibility; and deterioration of various human rights were among the main consequences of this phenomenon. These findings bear significant practical implications including the fact that sextortion may undermine efforts to end gender inequality.