The Concept of Sexual Corruption
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37491/UNZ.112.6Keywords:
corrupt exchange, information-based sexual blackmail, institutionally significant benefit, sextortion, sexual corruption, sexually significant unlawful advantageAbstract
This article develops a doctrinal concept of sexual corruption as a derivative form of corrupt interaction with a distinct structure suitable for criminal-law analysis, and distinguishes it from sextortion, which, in its literal and etymologically determined sense, denotes an information-based form of sexual blackmail. The analysis proceeds from the premise that the broad and heterogeneous use of the concept of corruption creates both a risk of unjustifiably subsuming diverse sexualised wrongs within its scope and a risk of unduly reducing corruption to pecuniary bribery. Sexually significant conduct may perform different functions: it may constitute the content of unwanted conduct, form the subject matter of a demand, serve as a resource in a blackmail threat, or amount to a sexually significant unlawful advantage in a corrupt exchange. It is the latter function that determines the corrupt character of the phenomenon under examination. The analysis further shows that sextortion, understood as information-based sexual blackmail, is characterised by a threat to disclose intimate materials or information intended to subordinate the victim’s will and compel conduct dictated by the perpetrator. Equating sextortion with sexual corruption is therefore methodologically unsound, since the two phenomena differ, at a minimum, in the source of unlawful influence, the function of the sexual component, the mechanism of the wrongdoing, and the purpose underlying the victim’s conduct. In sexual corruption, the source of influence lies in power, influence, or an institutionally controlled resource, whereas the sexually significant unlawful advantage functions as the counter-performance for a distinct institutionally significant benefit, decision, advantage, protection, or the improper non-application of a measure that ought lawfully to be applied. The retention, continuation, or restoration of access falls within this model only where it requires a fresh and independent institutional decision and is not unconditionally guaranteed to the person concerned. The article justifies the use of the concept of a ‘sexually significant unlawful advantage’ rather than the expression ‘sexual service’, since the former does not presuppose voluntariness, equivalence, or the commercial character of the conduct of a person in a position of dependence. Sexual corruption is defined as a derivative form of corrupt interaction in which a sexually significant unlawful advantage functions as the counter-performance for a distinct institutionally significant benefit, advantage, decision, act, omission, or improper immunity that the other party controls directly or is able to secure through influence. The factual co-occurrence of sexual corruption and sextortion within a single episode does not establish a genus-species relationship between them.
References
Петков П. П. За някои макротеоретични интерпретации на корупцията. Ново знание. 2023. Год. 12, бр. 3. P. 14–22. URL: https://science.uard.bg/index.php/newknowledge/article/view/1002.
Torsello D., Venard B. The Anthropology of Corruption. Journal of Management Inquiry. 2016. Vol. 25, No. 1. P. 34–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492615579081.
Brooks R. C. The Nature of Political Corruption. Political Science Quarterly. 1909. Vol. 24, No. 1. P. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/2141078.
Sartori G. Comparing and Miscomparing. Journal of Theoretical Politics. 1991. Vol. 3, No. 3. P. 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0951692891003003001.
Заросило В. О., Гладкий В. В. Хабарництво як базисна форма прояву корупції. Вісник Південного регіонального центру Національної академії правових наук України. 2018. № 16. С. 116–132. ZENODO. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1465480.
Chan A. P. C., Owusu E. K. Corruption Forms in the Construction Industry: Literature Review. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 2017. Vol. 143, No. 8. Article 04017057. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001353.
Kaufmann D., Vicente P. C. Legal Corruption. Economics & Politics. 2011. Vol. 23, No. 2. P. 195–219. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0343.2010.00377.x.
Morris S. D. Forms of Corruption. CESifo DICE Report. 2011. Vol. 9, No. 2. P. 10–14. ifo Institute. URL: https://www.ifo.de/en/publications/2011/article-journal/forms-corruption.
Петров П. Ю. Корупцията, изпирането на пари и организираната престъпност като риск за националната сигурност. Икономически и социални алтернативи. 2025. Т. 31, бр. 1. С. 39–60. https://doi.org/10.37075/ISA.2025.1.03.
Leonavičius J. Korupcinių nusikalstamų veikų dalykas — kyšis. Tam tikri diskusiniai ir probleminiai klausimai. Jurisprudencija. 2025. Vol. 32, No. 1. P. 224–245. https://doi.org/10.13165/JUR-25-32-1-11.
Šikman M., Ivić G. Sexual Corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina — Prevalence and Legal Norms. Journal of Criminology and Criminal Law. 2024. Vol. 62, No. 3. P. 103–117. https://doi.org/10.47152/rkkp.62.3.6.
Towns A. Prestige, Immunity and Diplomats: Understanding Sexual Corruption. Elites, Institutions and the Quality of Government / eds. C. Dahlström, L. Wängnerud. London : Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. P. 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137556288_4.
Cardinaux A. Love, Money & Bribery: le sexe dans les dispositifs de lutte anti-corruption. Culture Compliance. 2025. No. 13, iss. 2. P. 7–13. https://doi.org/10.3917/cuco.013.0009.
Dammert L. Extortion: The Backbone of Criminal Activity in Latin America. Miami : Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, 2021. 19 p. FIU Digital Commons. URL: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/record/19442.
Isnawan F. Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment Involving an Employee Through Staycation Modus. Jurnal Ius Constituendum. 2025. Vol. 10, No. 3. P. 453–470. https://doi.org/10.26623/jic.v10i3.12473.
Lundgren S., Wieslander M. Holding the Harasser Responsible: Implications of Identifying Sexual Harassment That Includes Abuse of Power and Quid Pro Quo Elements as Sexual Corruption. Gender, Work & Organization. 2025. Vol. 32, No. 1. P. 181–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.13142.
Margolin L. Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment. Women Accused of Sexual Harassment. Cham : Palgrave Macmillan, 2024. P. 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-79021-8_8.
Sundström A., Wängnerud L. Sexual Forms of Corruption and Sextortion: How to Expand Research in a Sensitive Area. QoG Working Paper Series. 2021. No. 10. 23 p. University of Gothenburg. URL: https://www.gu.se/sites/default/files/2021-12/2021_10_Sundstrom_Wangnerud.pdf.
Maslen C. Gender Transformative Approaches to Anti-corruption. U4 Helpdesk Answer. 2024. No. 37. 34 p. U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre. URL: https://www.u4.no/publications/gender-transformative-approaches-to-anti-corruption.
Kambuga Y. Sextortion in Education Sector and Response to Criminal Legal System in Tanzania — A Review. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Arts and Sciences. 2016. Vol. 3, No. 1. P. 56–63. ResearchGate. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327743611_Sextortion_in_Education_Sector_and_Response_to_Criminal_Legal_System_in_Tanzania_-_A_Review.
Bauhr M., Owasanoye B., Petherick A. Sexual Corruption: Emerging Directions in Research and Policy. Routledge Handbook of Gender and Corruption / eds. S. Williams, M. Krambia-Kapardis, L. A. Kihl. London : Routledge, 2025. P. 35–53. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003567912-4.
Birdsall N., Mulvihill N., Yapp E., Richards H. K. Sexual Corruption: Recognising the “Abuse of Power” in Professional Sexual Misconduct. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice. 2025. Vol. 11, No. 4. P. 335–350. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-01-2025-0005.
Bjarnegård E., Calvo D., Eldén Å., Jonsson S., Lundgren S. Sex Instead of Money: Conceptualizing Sexual Corruption. Governance. 2024. Vol. 37, No. 4. P. 1349–1367. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12844.
Isaac M., Gill A. K. Gender-Based Corruption: An Exploration of Sexual Corruption in Migration Contexts in the UK. Journal of Gender-Based Violence. (published online ahead of print 2025). P. 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1332/23986808Y2024D000000063.
Jonsson S. Sexual Corruption and Political (Dis)Trust. Political Studies. 2025. Vol. 74, Iss. 2. https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217251335758.
Motala S. Sexual Corruption: The Silent Intersection between Sexual Violence and Corruption. Routledge Handbook of Gender and Corruption / eds. S. Williams, M. Krambia-Kapardis, L. A. Kihl. London : Routledge, 2025. P. 54–64. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003567912-5.
Williams S. Extricating Sexual Corruption from the Shadow of Anti-Corruption Law: The Imperative for a New Approach. International Criminal Law Review. 2024. P. 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718123-bja10218.
Jeffreys E. Debating the Legal Regulation of Sex-Related Bribery and Corruption in the People’s Republic of China. Sex and Sexuality in China / ed. E. Jeffreys. London : Routledge, 2007. P. 159–178. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203967065-14.
Mo H., Ye X. Scope of Bribe — From the Angle of Sexual Bribe [贿赂的范围—以“性贿赂”为视角]. Contemporary Law Review. 2006. No. 3. P. 9–13. Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. URL: http://dianda.cqvip.com/Qikan/Article/Detail?id=21748029.
Peng W. Rational analysis of the criminalization of sexual bribery [性贿赂犯罪化的理性分析]. Research on Rule of Law. 2014. No. 4. P. 78–89. Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. URL: http://dianda.cqvip.com/Qikan/Article/Detail?id=49212279.
Xu J. On the criminalization of “trading power for sex” [论“权色交易”当入罪]. Journal of Jiangxi Public Security College. 2007. No. 6. P. 19–24. Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. URL: http://dianda.cqvip.com/Qikan/Article/Detail?id=26197670.
Wang L., Chen J. On the Consummation of Legislation and Systems Regarding Bribery [关于受贿犯罪立法完善与制度设计的若干思考]. Journal of Beijing Institute of Technology (Social Sciences Edition). 2007. No. 3. P. 35–38. URL: https://journal.bit.edu.cn/sk/article/id/20070309.
Mu Y. The Cognizance of the Scope of Bribe in the Bribing Crime [关于贿赂犯罪中贿赂范围的认定]. Journal of Changchun University of Science and Technology (Social Sciences Edition). 2006. Vol. 19, No. 2. P. 76–78. Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. URL: https://dianda.cqvip.com/Qikan/Article/Detail?id=22739535.
Крумов Л. Етимология и същност на корупцията. Докторантски четения: Икономическа социология : сборник с доклади. София : Академично издателство УНСС, 2025. С. 8–17. Електронен каталог УНСС. URL: https://eclipse.unwe.bg/catalog/view/QY23T4VVJQ.
Sextortion: The Impact on Judging and Courts in ASEAN. 22.02.2023. United Nations Development Programme. URL: https://www.undp.org/asia-pacific/judicial-integrity/news/sextortion-impact-judging-and-courts-asean.
Online Sexual Coercion and Extortion as a Form of Crime Affecting Children : Law Enforcement Perspective. Hague : Europol, 2017. 23 p. Europol. URL: https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-events/publications/online-sexual-coercion-and-extortion-form-of-crime-affecting-children-law-enforcement-perspective.
O’Malley R. L., Holt K. M. Cyber Sextortion: An Exploratory Analysis of Different Perpetrators Engaging in a Similar Crime. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2022. Vol. 37, No. 1–2. P. 258–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520909186.
Ray A., Henry N. Sextortion: A Scoping Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. 2025. Vol. 26, No. 1. P. 138–155. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241277271.
Wittes B., Poplin C., Jurecic Q., Spera C. Sextortion: Cybersecurity, teenagers, and remote sexual assault. Washington, DC : Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, 2016. 47 p. Brookings. URL: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/sextortion1-1.pdf.
Patchin J. W., Hinduja S. Sextortion Among Adolescents: Results from a National Survey of U.S. Youth. Sexual Abuse. 2020. Vol. 32, No. 1. P. 30–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063218800469.
Reyes E., Kalwani N., Mendes K. Sextortion. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Education and Gender. Thousand Oaks, CA : SAGE Publications, 2025. Vol. 2. P. 649–653. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071926697.n214.
Stopping the Abuse of Power through Sexual Exploitation: Naming, Shaming, and Ending Sextortion. Washington, DC : International Association of Women Judges, 2012. 46 p. UNODC. URL: https://www.unodc.org/res/ji/import/guide/naming_shaming_ending_sextortion/naming_shaming_ending_sextortion.pdf.
Henry N., Beard G. Image-Based Sexual Abuse Perpetration: A Scoping Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. 2024. Vol. 25, No. 5. P. 3981–3998. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241266137.
McGlynn C., Rackley E. Image-Based Sexual Abuse. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. 2017. Vol. 37, No. 3. P. 534–561. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqw033.
Wolak J., Finkelhor D., Walsh W., Treitman L. Sextortion of Minors: Characteristics and Dynamics. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2018. Vol. 62, No. 1. P. 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.08.014.
Gámez-Guadix M., Mateos-Pérez E., Wachs S., Wright M., Martínez J., Íncera D. Assessing Image-Based Sexual Abuse: Measurement, Prevalence, and Temporal Stability of Sextortion and Nonconsensual Sexting (“Revenge Porn”) among Adolescents. Journal of Adolescence. 2022. Vol. 94, No. 5. P. 789–799. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12064.
Alldridge P. “Attempted Murder of the Soul”: Blackmail, Privacy and Secrets. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. 1993. Vol. 13, No. 3. P. 368–387. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/13.3.368.
Berman M. N. Blackmail. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Criminal Law / eds. J. Deigh, D. Dolinko. New York : Oxford University Press, 2011. P. 37–106. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195314854.003.0003.
Al-Saggaf Y. An Exploratory Study of Attitudes Towards Privacy in Social Media and the Threat of Blackmail: The Views of a Group of Saudi Women. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. 2016. Vol. 75, No. 1. P. 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2016.tb00549.x.
Berman M. N. The Evidentiary Theory of Blackmail: Taking Motives Seriously. The University of Chicago Law Review. 1998. Vol. 65, No. 3. P. 795–878. https://doi.org/10.2307/1600300.
Block W. The Crime of Blackmail: A Libertarian Critique. Criminal Justice Ethics. 1999. Vol. 18, No. 2. P. 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/0731129X.1999.9992070.
El Hajj S. Narrating Sexual Blackmail in Lebanon: A Present-Day Pathography. Life Writing. 2023. Vol. 20, No. 4. P. 659–671. https://doi.org/10.1080/14484528.2023.2259156.
Shavell S. An Economic Analysis of Threats and Their Illegality: Blackmail, Extortion, and Robbery. University of Pennsylvania Law Review. 1993. Vol. 141, No. 5. P. 1877–1903. https://doi.org/10.2307/3312577.
Westen P. Why the Paradox of Blackmail Is So Hard to Resolve. Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law. 2012. Vol. 9, No. 2. P. 585–636. SSRN. URL: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2078510.
Ставрева М. По някои въпроси, свързани с наказателноправната защита на личния живот. De Jure. 2020. Т. 11, бр. 1. С. 71–79. https://doi.org/10.54664/FDQI4583.
Baker C. N. Sexual Extortion: Criminalizing Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment. Law & Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice. 1994. Vol. 13, No. 1. P. 213–251. https://doi.org/10.24926/25730037.426.
Aja-Eke D., Gillanders R., Ouedraogo I., Maiga W. H. E. Sextortion and Corruption. Applied Economics Letters. 2025. Vol. 32, No. 6. P. 830–834. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2023.2289894.
Bragagnolo W., Lezama Y. Sextortion in Sport: An Applied Ethics Approach to Misconduct. Movimento. 2024. Vol. 30. Article e30057. P. 1–23. https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.143277.
De Paolis R. La sottile linea rossa tra corruzione e abuso sessuale: il fenomeno della sextortion. Archivio penale. 2024. No. 2. P. 1–43. URL: https://archiviopenale.it/la-sottile-linea-rossa-tra-corruzione-e-abuso-sessuale-il-fenomeno-della-sextortion/articoli/46739.
France G. Criminalising Sextortion: Challenges and Alternatives : Transparency International Anti-Corruption Helpdesk Answer. Berlin : Transparency International, 2022. 18 p. Transparency International Knowledge Hub. URL: https://knowledgehub.transparency.org/helpdesk/criminalising-sextortion-challenges-and-alternatives (дата звернення: 12.10.2024).
Eldén Å., Calvo D., Bjarnegård E., Lundgren S., Jonsson S. Sextortion: Corruption and Gender-Based Violence : EBA Report 2020:06. Sweden : The Expert Group for Aid Studies, 2020. 134 p. Expertgruppen för biståndsanalys (EBA). URL: https://eba.se/app/uploads/2020/11/Sextortion_webb.pdf.
Bjarnegård E., Calvo D., Eldén Å., Lundgren S. What Is Sexual Corruption? The Challenges of Raising Awareness and Legislating in the Absence of Recognition. Forum on Crime and Society. 2025. Vol. 11. P. 1–17. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. URL: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Forum/Forum_2025/ForumCrimeSociety_Vol11_Chapter1.pdf.
Lundgren S., Eldén Å., Calvo D., Bjarnegård E. Sextortion: Linking Sexual Violence and Corruption in a Nordic Context. Re-Imagining Sexual Harassment: Perspectives from the Nordic Region / eds. M. Lundqvist, A. Simonsson, K. Widegren. Bristol : Policy Press, 2023. P. 129–152. https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447366546.ch010.
De Paolis R. Corruption, Sextortion, Gender-Based Violence: Open Challenges for the European Union in Harmonising Substantive Criminal Rules. New Journal of European Criminal Law. 2025. Vol. 16, No. 1. P. 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/20322844241293634.
Risteska M., Trajanovska L. Sexual Extortion as an Act of Corruption: Legal and Institutional Response. Skopje : OSCE Mission to Skopje, 2021. 56 p. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). URL: https://cdn.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/7/d/516081_0.pdf.
The Time Is Now: Addressing the Gender Dimensions of Corruption. Vienna : United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2020. 181 p. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. URL: https://www.unodc.org/documents/corruption/Publications/2020/THE_TIME_IS_NOW_2020_12_08.pdf.
Hladky V. V. Criminometric Analysis of Corruption Permissiveness and Conditions of Pricing in Corrupt Services. Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine. 2019. Vol. 26, No. 2. P. 22–34. https://doi.org/10.31359/1993-0909-2019-26-2-22.
Olaigbe T. A., Fagbenro D. A. Fighting Female Sexual Harassment in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. Journal of International Cooperation and Development. 2021. Vol. 4, No. 1. P. 103–116. https://doi.org/10.36941/jicd-2021-0006.
Wang Y., Xie J. Criminal Law Reflections on Sexual Bribery [性贿赂的刑法学思考]. Political Science and Law. 2009. No. 4. P. 115–119. Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. URL: http://dianda.cqvip.com/Qikan/Article/Detail?id=29959615.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Viacheslav HLADKY
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
