PublicationsThe U4 Blog

U4 Helpdesk Answer

Corruption and the equal enjoyment of rights for persons with disabilities

The literature on the extent to which and how corruption affects persons with disabilities is very thin. Most of the secondary research that is available appears to be qualitative and testimonial in nature. Nonetheless, it indicates that people with disabilities are exposed to abuse by those that provide care, the embezzlement of funds intended to benefit persons with disabilities and extortion in the process of acquiring a disability certificate. Based on consultations with organisations that work with or represent persons with disabilities, there is extensive first-hand evidence that persons with disabilities can be severely and disproportionately affected by corruption. This impact of this corruption is caused, enabled or exacerbated by discrimination against persons with disabilities.

28 April 2022
Download PDF
Corruption and the equal enjoyment of rights for persons with disabilities

Main points

  • Persons with disabilities can be exposed to corruption in a number of ways, including in the context of care provision, the embezzlement of funds intended to benefit persons with disabilities and extortion in the process of acquiring a disability certificate.
  • Based on consultations with organisations of persons with disabilities, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that more broadly, discriminatory corruption affects persons with disabilities in four main ways.
  • First, discrimination renders persons with disabilities more exposed to corrupt abuses of power. Second, corruption can take forms that are intrinsically discriminatory towards persons with disabilities. Third, discrimination results in the effects of corruption being disproportionately borne by persons with disabilities. Fourth, discrimination raises barriers to prevent victims of corruption from seeking justice, while corruption can inhibit efforts to investigate and overcome discrimination.
  • Certain characteristics can make some persons with disabilities more exposed to corruption than others. Those include intellectual disabilities and psychosocial disabilities, while children, older persons and women with disabilities may experience more severe forms of discriminatory corruption.
  • This intersection between disability status and other grounds should not be overlooked when seeking to sensitise anti-corruption programming to disability perspectives. There is a value and a need for anti-corruption programmes to take a comprehensive, holistic and intersectional approach in their design and delivery.

Cite this publication


Jenkins, M.; McDonald, E. (2022) Corruption and the equal enjoyment of rights for persons with disabilities. Bergen: U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, Chr. Michelsen Institute (U4 Helpdesk Answer 2022:7)

Download PDF

About the authors

Matt Jenkins is a Research and Knowledge Manager at Transparency International, where he runs the Anti-Corruption Helpdesk, an on-demand bespoke research service for civil society activists and development practitioners. Jenkins specialises in anti-corruption evaluations and evidence reviews, he has produced studies for the OECD and the GIZ, and has worked at the European Commission and think tanks in Berlin and Hyderabad.

Ellie McDonald

Disclaimer


All views in this text are the author(s)’, and may differ from the U4 partner agencies’ policies.

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Photo