Corruption harms and affects people differently depending on their characteristics. 

This was the topic of a recent UNCAC Coalition side event, hosted in conjunction with U4 and the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the UN in Vienna.  

Monica Kirya, Deputy Director at the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Center and Co-Chair of the UNCAC Coalition’s Working Group on Gender, Inclusion and Corruption, moderated the event; and the panel was comprised by: 

• Ambassador Annika Markovic, Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna
• Ivana Krstic, UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls 
• Michele Coleman, Doctoral Researcher, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Sabrina D’Andrea, Lawyer, UN Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC)
• Matthew Jenkins, Research and Knowledge Manager, Transparency International

Key takeaways from the event included the following: 

1. Corruption does not affect everyone equally 
2. It has a disproportionate effect on disadvantaged groups 
3. States must take efforts to address the impact of corruption on disadvantaged groups

The impact of corruption on disadvantaged groups 

Research by Transparency International has found that corruption has a disproportionate effect on disadvantaged groups, including youth, women, ethnic and religious minorities, Indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities and others. 

This is due to multiple factors: 

1. Discrimination: Corruption can make disadvantaged groups more vulnerable to corruption as a result of discrimination.

2. Access to justice and policy measures: Corruption can hinder disadvantaged groups’ access to justice, and impede the effectiveness of policies to combat discrimination. 

3. Public services: Corruption can undermine access to public services for disadvantaged groups. 

4. Societal costs: Disadvantaged groups are more likely to bear the brunt of the wider societal costs of corruption. 

5. Intersectionality: Those that face discrimination based on several factors – for example, women that are also indigenous – are even more likely to experience the negative effects of corruption.

Corruption & youth

Transparency International’s research demonstrates that young people are particularly likely to face the negative effects of corruption. 

According to the Global corruption barometer, 22% of 18-34 year olds in Asia reported paying bribes over the course of a year, compared to 13% of those over 55. 

One of the ways in which corruption can affect young people is by limiting their access to education, resulting in other negative consequences such as unemployment, alienation and forced migration. 

The impact of corruption on women and girls

According to Ivana Krstic from the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls (WGDAWG), the disadvantages faced by women and girls make them more susceptible to corruption. 

These are some of the particular impacts that corruption can have on women and girls: 

Healthcare: Women and girls may face barriers or be forced to pay bribes to access certain services, such as sexual and reproductive healthcare. 

Education: Parents may be forced to pay bribes for their children’s education. This may have a negative impact on girls, when parents prioritize boys’ education. 

Public funding: Corruption often leads to the diversion of public funds. Programs and funding affecting women are often hit harder by such diversions. 

Access to justice: When cases of gender-based violence or abuse occur, corruption can impede women’s access to justice. Other abuses against women and girls – such as child marriage – may also be facilitated by corruption. 

Economic inequality: Women’s access to employment and other economic opportunities may be restricted by corruption. 

Political participation: Corruption can prevent women’s participation in public affairs. This also undermines their ability to advocate for gender equality. 

Intersectionality: Low-income, rural, Indigenous and minority group women suffer unique issues of intersectionality. 

Corruption in healthcare: the impact on women and girls

Women are particularly vulnerable to corruption in healthcare systems. This is because they interact more frequently with health systems due to their biology, and because of the heightened risk of being exposed to sexual corruption. 

According to Michele Coleman, a researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the particular risks faced by women include the following: 

Impact on younger women: Younger women are more likely to face corruption, including sexual corruption, in the healthcare system due to limited financial resources and less understanding of their rights. 

Corruption in the provision of healthcare services: Women are frequently required to pay bribes to access treatment for sexual and reproductive health. Studies from Nigeria, Madagascar, Kenya, Albania and Serbia attest to this. 

The impact of grand corruption: Grand corruption can result in cuts to healthcare budgets, often disproportionately impacting services used by women. 

The societal impact of sexual corruption: Women who face sexual corruption may be subject to stigma. This makes them less likely to report wrongdoing, further perpetuating the problem.

Solutions 

What are States, international organizations and civil society doing to combat the negative effects of corruption on disadvantaged groups? 

UNODC efforts

• A conference room paper on the negative effects of corruption on women and youth and their role in combating corruption. 
• “The Time is Now: Addressing the Gendered Dimension of Corruption” (2020). How does corruption affect gender equality and how does gender equality affect corruption? UNODC’s flagship publication explains more. 
• Has supported States Parties to collect disaggregated data regarding the impact of corruption.
• Has undertaken various initiatives to promote the participation of youth and women in the fight against corruption (GRACE initiative, among others).

UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls (WGDAWG)

• The WGDAW has proposed to include corruption in Draft Recommendation 40 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). 

Civil society success stories 

• TI Bangladesh has published research on the impact of corruption on Indigenous and Dalit peoples. 
• TI Zimbabwe actively collaborates with anti-discrimination organizations to understand and address the differentiated impact of corruption on disadvantaged communities. 
• TI chapters in Sri Lanka, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and others use mobile legal assistance clinics to collect and respond to reports of corruption in hard-to-reach areas. 
• Transparency International’s Clean Money in Elections initiative seeks to promote the participation of women in politics.

States

• An open contracting initiative in Zambia’s healthcare sector resulted in an increase in the employment of women, demonstrating that transparent procurement policies can have a positive impact on gender equality.