You can join the campaign by passing the baton to your family, your friends, and your network and challenge them to speak up, commit and call for others who stand united against corruption.

1. What is Corruption?

Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain (description by Transparency International).

It erodes trust in public institutions, weakens democracy, and hampers economic development.

It deepens inequality, poverty, social division and environmental crisis.

A few examples of corruption:

- public servants illegally demanding or taking money or favours in exchange for services,

- politicians misusing public money or illegally granting public jobs or contracts to their sponsors, friends and families,

- corporations bribing officials to get lucrative deals.

Where?

Corruption can happen anywhere: in business, government, the courts, the media, and civil society, as well as across all sectors, from health and education to infrastructure and sports.

Who?

Corruption can involve anyone: politicians, government officials, public servants, businesspeople or members of the public.

When?

In some countries corruption can happen at times and adapts to different contexts and changing circumstances (sporadic corruption). It can evolve in response to changes in rules, legislation and even technology. In some countries, it is informally integrated into the public administration system and becomes its functional part (systemic corruption).

How?

Corruption happens in the shadows, often with the help of professional enablers such as bankers, lawyers, accountants and real estate agents, opaque financial systems and anonymous shell companies that allow corruption schemes to flourish and the corrupt to launder and hide their illicit wealth.

2. The Costs of Corruption

• Your freedom, rights and the rule of law.

• Your participation and trust in your government.

• Your chance for a healthy environment and future.

• Your opportunity to build and grow wealth.

• Your opportunity to get public services such as health and education.

3. What can you do against corruption?

• Start by informing yourself and others about what corruption is.

• Learn how to spot weaknesses that make corruption more likely and red flags it's happening.

• It starts with you! Stay away from corruption and encourage others to do the same. 

• Inform your community about corruption and its negative impacts on society.

• You have the right to access the public information. Demand access to selection and procurement cases within established legislation.

• Report corruption (and encourage others to do) when you can and if possible. Your report may be reported anonymous, meaning that you may not include information about your identity in the report if, for various reasons, you do not want to do so.  

4. Types of Corruption

• Corrupted Patronage

The use of state resources, typically positions of office, to reward individuals for their political support, when used excessively and contrary to all principles of merit. 

• Systemic corruption

Also known as endemic corruption, systemic corruption refers to a situation when corruption is an integral part of a state's economic, social and political system, and where most people have no alternatives to dealing with corrupt officials.

• Bribery

The demand, offer and/or exchange of money, services or other valuables to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of entrusted power.

• Corrupted clientelism

An informal exploitative system of exchanges (of resources, services, favours) when an elected official (the “patron”) distributes resources under his/her control inequitably, with abuse of power, to his/her followers (“clients”) as a reward for electoral and other political support.

• Conflict of interest

A conflict of interest is a conflict between an entrusted duty on the one hand, and the private interest of the duty-bearer on the other. It is not corruption yet, but may create opportunities for and lead to corruption to take place, so they should be avoided or managed. For example, a parliamentarian sitting in the committee for healthcare reform might own stock in a major pharmaceutical company. The existence of this private interest could improperly influence the performance of entrusted responsibilities.

• Cronyism

The favourable treatment of friends and associates in the distribution of resources and positions.

• Nepotism

A form of favouritism involving family relationships, in which someone exploits his or her authority to procure jobs or other favours for relatives.

• Trading in influence

Trading in influence occurs when a person who has real or apparent influence on the decision-making of a public official exchanges this influence for an undue advantage.

One example is when an MP receives a payment from a company to attempt to convince fellow legislators to support amendments that would benefit that company.

Reporting Corruption

Federal Commission of Integrity

You can report corruption through 154 

Hotlines of the Federal Commission of Integrity

Mobile: 07901988559

Landline: 7782653

Omnnea: 07600000030 (Free within the same network) 

Email: hotline@nazaha.iq

Kurdistan Commission of Integrity

Direct letter to COI (Erbil/ Aras street) : despaki.hotline@yahoo.com 

📱07511714300 📱07511714301

📱07714484040

(Duhok/ gali street) : office.duhok@yahoo.com

📱07501061420 ,📱07514419986 ☎0627133618

(Sullaimania/ kaniskan) 

Office.sulaimani@yahoo.com

📱07501302928 / ☎3202955