Fighting Sexual Corruption in Public Services: Lessons from Women’s Experiences in Brazil

This chapter examines the phenomenon of sexual corruption, where access to public services is conditioned on sexualized compliance. Sexual corruption, which predominantly targets women, imposes a unique violation of personal dignity and autonomy, leaving victims with few avenues for redress due to stigma, institutional disbelief, and fear of retaliation. Drawing on qualitative data from focus groups with women engaged in Brazil’s public healthcare system, the chapter explores how sexual corruption operates not as isolated misconduct, but as a structural condition embedded in everyday service delivery. Sexual corruption is shown to thrive across multiple sectors - including healthcare, law enforcement, and education - facilitated by systemic impunity and discretionary institutional cultures. Sexual corruption disproportionately affects women from lower-income or peripheral areas, who are perceived as less informed or less protected. The chapter argues for reframing sexual corruption as both a failure of governance and a critical gender justice issue. This framing enables the development of effective anti-corruption policies that move beyond individual punishment to address the institutional cultures that allow sexual corruption to persist.