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The impact of administrative and financial corruption on human rights

Brief about:

Journal Article (2022)

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Al-Obaidi, Bushra. 'The impact of administrative and financial corruption on human rights'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/the-impact-of-administrative-and-financial-corruption-on-human-rights/

 My research examines corruption in Iraq, which is a highly corrupt country in terms of human rights. High corruption levels have persisted for years, especially since the collapse of the regime in 2003

The spread of corruption is directly related to human rights. Citizens have started to feel that corruption is the only way out, and it is expanding. This corruption has led to human trafficking, drugs, crime, and a lack of justice.

Criminals can buy their way out of punishment, which alarms citizens who then begin to use corruption for survival. I wrote a paper to expose this dark side of corruption, focusing on its impact on human rights, which I believe is even more severe than its political consequences.

 

Key findings

  1. The collapse of Iraqi society and the spread of criminal activities signify a total breakdown in the government and society.
    What it means

    This is not a government where laws apply to everyone. With no respect and no politics, the spread of militias and weapons is a prime reason for corruption. This increased power leads to human rights violations.

  2. The total collapse of ethical and societal codes is evident in the daily criminal activity taking place in the daylight and numerous strange lawsuits.
    What it means

    It is uncommon to find an employee who is not corrupt. The expectation of having to pay bribes to get things done has become ingrained in society. If we don't pay a bribe, it feels strange to us, and we start to worry that our paperwork won't get processed.

  3. Respecting human rights should be the priority of the government and the judicial system.
    What it means

    The people currently holding these positions are not experts. Even consultants in human rights don't fully understand the topic. If human rights are not prioritised, we can't move forward. We will keep diagnosing problems without taking action.

  4. The judicial system, which should be our insurance, is corrupt.
    What it means

    Judges are chosen by corrupt individuals in political parties, not by the parliament. Judges who are not biased towards these corrupt parties can be killed, and many have been. Courts are corrupt, and judges are scared. They sometimes have to rely on corruption for their survival.

  5. I have witnessed the selection process for government positions, which should be based on meritocracy and expertise.
    What it means

    However, some individuals pay experts to secure their positions, opening the door for more efficient criminal activities through forgery and nepotism.

Proposed action

  1. The first step is for the government to prioritise human rights and bring them to the forefront

    Regulations have many loopholes, so we need to review and revise laws to fill those gaps.

  2. We need to make penalties harsher for corruption

    When fighting corruption, we should do it with research and respect for human rights so that they don't get affected. Fighting corruption isn't only about the economic realm; it is most important to focus on human rights as a whole. We should look at the causes first, through research and intellect, to make a significant impact on human well-being.

  3. In the Iraqi constitution, judges should not be chosen by parliaments but should be publicly elected by ordinary people

    This would prevent corrupt parties from influencing the judicial system.

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Acknowledgements

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The impact of administrative and financial corruption on human rights

Cite this brief: Al-Obaidi, Bushra. 'The impact of administrative and financial corruption on human rights'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/the-impact-of-administrative-and-financial-corruption-on-human-rights/

Brief created by: Dr Bushra Al-Obaidi | Year brief made:

Original research:

  • Al-Obaidi, B., ‘The impact of administrative and financial corruption on human rights’ Journal of Positive School Psychology 6(4) (pp. 4418–4440) https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/4127. – https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/4127

Research brief:

My research examines corruption in Iraq, which is a highly corrupt country in terms of human rights. High corruption levels have persisted for years, especially since the collapse of the regime in 2003

The spread of corruption is directly related to human rights. Citizens have started to feel that corruption is the only way out, and it is expanding. This corruption has led to human trafficking, drugs, crime, and a lack of justice.

Criminals can buy their way out of punishment, which alarms citizens who then begin to use corruption for survival. I wrote a paper to expose this dark side of corruption, focusing on its impact on human rights, which I believe is even more severe than its political consequences.

Findings:

The collapse of Iraqi society and the spread of criminal activities signify a total breakdown in the government and society.

This is not a government where laws apply to everyone. With no respect and no politics, the spread of militias and weapons is a prime reason for corruption. This increased power leads to human rights violations.

The total collapse of ethical and societal codes is evident in the daily criminal activity taking place in the daylight and numerous strange lawsuits.

It is uncommon to find an employee who is not corrupt. The expectation of having to pay bribes to get things done has become ingrained in society. If we don’t pay a bribe, it feels strange to us, and we start to worry that our paperwork won’t get processed.

Respecting human rights should be the priority of the government and the judicial system.

The people currently holding these positions are not experts. Even consultants in human rights don’t fully understand the topic. If human rights are not prioritised, we can’t move forward. We will keep diagnosing problems without taking action.

The judicial system, which should be our insurance, is corrupt.

Judges are chosen by corrupt individuals in political parties, not by the parliament. Judges who are not biased towards these corrupt parties can be killed, and many have been. Courts are corrupt, and judges are scared. They sometimes have to rely on corruption for their survival.

I have witnessed the selection process for government positions, which should be based on meritocracy and expertise.

However, some individuals pay experts to secure their positions, opening the door for more efficient criminal activities through forgery and nepotism.

Advice:

The first step is for the government to prioritise human rights and bring them to the forefront

    • Regulations have many loopholes, so we need to review and revise laws to fill those gaps.

We need to make penalties harsher for corruption

    • When fighting corruption, we should do it with research and respect for human rights so that they don’t get affected. Fighting corruption isn’t only about the economic realm; it is most important to focus on human rights as a whole. We should look at the causes first, through research and intellect, to make a significant impact on human well-being.

In the Iraqi constitution, judges should not be chosen by parliaments but should be publicly elected by ordinary people

    • This would prevent corrupt parties from influencing the judicial system.
Open Access|Peer Reviewed

"The impact of administrative and financial corruption on human rights"

Cite paper

Al-Obaidi, B., ‘The impact of administrative and financial corruption on human rights’ Journal of Positive School Psychology 6(4) (pp. 4418–4440) https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/4127.

Journal ArticleFind full paper →
Methodology
This is a opinion paper.

I have done research and met people in organisations that opened doors to insights. The internet and past papers have been helpful, as all these cases are now being put online. The press is also involved, and many victims talk to us about their experiences, allowing me to collect first-hand document accounts.

Funding

This research was independently conducted and did not receive funding from outside of the university.

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