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), forthcoming WIN research study on sextortion in Bangladesh
Sextortion is a gendered form of corruption where sex is the currency of the bribe. It affects people accessing basic services across the globe and in many sectors: water, health, education, policing, administration.
Many women, particularly poor women in vulnerable communities where infrastructure is inadequate, face sextortion on a regular basis when fetching water or accessing sanitation facilities. It’s an abhorrent act that needs to be better recognised and addressed in the water and sanitation sectors, with more awareness, training, support for survivors, and safe reporting mechanisms
This facheet by WIN, ANEW, End Water Poverty, SIWI and Sanitation for All, goes back to basics to clarify:
What is sextortion?
What does sextortion have to do with water and sanitation?
How does sextortion impact women and their human rights to water and sanitation?
How can water integrity help combat sextortion?
Download:
in English:
in Spanish:
in French:
