Closing the Blindspot: Confronting Corruption to Advance Women, Peace and Security

On the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, recognising corruption as a driver of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV); and gendered insecurity is essential if prevention, protection, participation, and recovery are to be fully realised in practice rather than only in principle.

Corruption in defence and security fuels the daily insecurity of women and girls. From sexual extortion and trafficking to bribery and patronage, corruption drives gender-based violence, denies survivors justice, and keeps accountability out of reach.

Yet despite these harms, the anti-corruption and the WPS agenda is still pursued largely in isolation, leaving critical risks unaddressed. Integrating anti-corruption into WPS is not a technical add-on: it is about recognising corruption as a structural driver of gendered insecurity.