SEXUAL CORRUPTION IS A THREAT TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS TO WATER AND SANITATION
“When a person is hungry, thirsty, or short on cash, she gets desperate and will do anything to survive. In this position, they don’t have much to do. This is exploited by powerful people.”
- Key Informant Interview, Korail-Dhaka (2021), research study on sextortion in Bangladesh
A factsheet by WIN, ANEW, End Water Poverty, SIWI and Sanitation for All, on the basics of sexual corruption in the water and sanitation sectors:
Read in Spanish or French:
---
1-WHAT IS SEXTORTION?
Sexual corruption, or commonly "sextortion", is a gendered form of corruption in which sex, rather than money, is the currency of a bribe. The term was first used by the International Association of Women Judges in 2009. Sextortion is a global issue, which happens wherever people in positions of authority abuse their power to take advantage of those dependent on that power.
Sex in exchange of a benefit or service may be demanded or may be offered in the place of money for a bribe, but either way it is a gendered form of corruption resulting from significant power imbalance.
Whether it be a government official, law enforcement officer, employer, service provider or any other individual in a position of power, sextortion occurs across sectors in both developing and developed countries and affects adults and children, established professionals and those belonging to marginalised and vulnerable groups. While evidence suggests that sextortion disproportionally targets women, men, transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals are also affected.
Sextortion is inherently non-consensual due to its coercive nature, is a severe form of sexual violence, and is an infringement of the right to be protected against sexual harassment and discrimination, having serious implications on the rights to access water and sanitation and public services.
---
2-WHAT DOES SEXTORTION HAVE TO DO WITH WATER AND SANITATION?
Because women and girls often bear the main responsibility for household water management, and because they have specific water and sanitation needs, they are more vulnerable to abuse, attacks, or corruption when fetching water or in accessing sanitation facilities.
In addition, women’s socioeconomic status compounds their vulnerability. Factors such as a lack of financial resources or insufficient access to water and sanitation facilities can force women into paying for services with their bodies. The higher likelihood that poor women are unaware of their rights and entitlements, further increases the risk of abuse. Inadequate water points and sanitation infrastructure, high prices, and poor integrity in sector organisations are additional risk factors, directly linked to the prospect of sextortion in access to water and sanitation.
---
3-HOW DOES SEXTORTION IMPACT WOMEN AND THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS TO WATER AND SANITATION?
Just as with other forms of sexual abuse and violence, victims of sextortion suffer a range of physical, psychological and social consequences and often suffer in silence due to shame, stigmatisation, fear of reprisal, and a lack of access to justice. For many, the benefits of reporting sextortion are not worth the costs, particularly as its transactional nature can contribute to victims being portrayed as complicit.
When women face sextortion in accessing water and sanitation, they face discrimination and their access is unsafe, in violation of their human rights to water and sanitation. Sextortion also increases gender inequalities and hinders sustainable development, further undermining victims’ human rights.
“I went to fetch water and the water vendor made sexual advances, but I refused to give in. The next day, I was denied water services by the vendor, who stated that unless I accepted his demands, I could not fetch water at that point. I opted to use a friend, who fetched water on my behalf”.
-Participant, Olympic Focus Group Discussion, Sex for Water Project, Kenya (2020)
---
4-HOW CAN INTEGRITY HELP COMBAT SEXTORTION?
Existing laws, regulations, policies and strategies do not sufficiently define or recognise sextortion as either a form of corruption or a sexual offence, making it difficult to identify and prosecute. Data and information on the topic are also scarce, due to limited research and awareness. Cultural barriers, stigmatisation, shame and additional risks to victims further contribute to a lack of dialogue and understanding of sextortion at the policy level.
When service providers and authorities apply the human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination and the human rights standards of accessibility and affordability in policy, service delivery, and financial and regulatory frameworks, discretionary access and the abuse of power, including sextortion, will be reduced. Sector stakeholders must step forward and create an environment for women, girls and other vulnerable groups to safely access water and sanitation.
Following from this, water and sanitation organisations should:
Recognise sextortion as a serious form of corruption and include it in their anti-corruption policies and legal frameworks;
Ensure that their leadership, staff, contractors, and other relevant stakeholders are trained on the issue as part of gender-responsive plans and practices, so they understand sextortion as a form of corruption that must be acted on;
Communicate to water users that sextortion is a form of corruption which should be reported;
Put in place and communicate to staff clearly defined penalties for sextortion;
Put in place formal reporting and response mechanisms where individuals can report incidents freely, confidentially, and without discrimination.
Support the development of psychological and social support systems for victims.
Take a stand against sextortion! Share this factsheet! Spread the word.
Sources:
Eldén, Å., D. Calvo, E. Bjarnegård, S. Lundgren and S. Jonsson (2020). Sextortion: Corruption and Gender-Based Violence, EBA Report 2020:06, the Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA), Sweden.
Feigenblatt, Hazel. 2020. Breaking the silence around sextortion: The links between power, sex and corruption. Transparency International. https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/breaking-the-silence-around-sextortion
Hendry, N. (2020). Sextortion: Sexual Offence or Corruption Offense? [web log]. Retrieved from https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/sextortion-sexual-offence-or-corruption-offence.
Kenya Water and Sanitation Civil Society Network (KEWASNET) and the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) (2020). Sex for Water Project: Promoting Safe Space for Girls and Young Women in Kibera Project, Final Baseline Report. https://www.susana.org/_resources/documents/default/3-3965-270-1606746371.pdf
Sangeetha Purushothaman et al. (2021). Seeing Beyond the State: Grassroots Women’s Perspectives on Corruption and Anti-Corruption. UNDP. https://anticorruption.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Grassroots-women-and-anti-corruption.pdf.
UNDP-SIWI Water Governance Facility (2017). Women and corruption in the water sector: Theories and experiences from Johannesburg and Bogotá. WGF Report No. 8. Stockholm: SIWI.
Water Integrity Network. 2021. Water integrity Global Outlook 2021: Water integrity in urban water and sanitation. Water Integrity Network, Berlin. https://www.waterintegritynetwork.net/wigo2021
Download as pdf:
in English:
in Spanish:
in French:
Comments