Corruption abuse of humanitarian and free aid in the context of armed conflicts: a comparative legal study

Keywords: corruption abuse, martial law, humanitarian aid, charitable aid, international organizations, comparative research.

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of an extremely important topic under martial law, which is the characteristics of certain corrupt practices in relation to free and humanitarian aid in foreign countries and Ukraine, with the aim of finding optimal ways to combat corruption in the sphere of rational and effective use of free and humanitarian aid during armed conflicts.

It has been noted that with the beginning of the first states existence, the initial forms of corruption abuse by officials, priests and other persons endowed with power also appeared. The first attempts to combat corruption date back to the times of Babylon and Ancient Egypt. However, corruption is a very specific phenomenon that skillfully adapts to any life circumstances, changes in political regimes, forms of government, etc.

A complex of scientific research methods has been used, namely: comparative and legal, systemic and structural, logical, analysis and synthesis, generalization and prognostic. It has been substantiated that combating corruption in relation to humanitarian aid is an extremely important task in the context of military operations, since corruption: 1) limits the amount of aid that reaches people in need; 2) is one of the main factors preventing better and more direct funding of humanitarian organizations; 3) undermines support for aid in donor countries and negatively affects the international image of the state.

Based on the analysis of the foreign states that are in armed conflicts and international donor organizations experience, it has been proposed to implement separate practical anti-corruption measures to ensure the leveling of corruption risks regarding the rational use of humanitarian and charitable assistance.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

O. S. Bondarenko, Sumy State University

Doctor of Law, Associate Professor.
Department of Criminal Law and Procedure.

References

Bordoloi, A. (2020). How Important is Neutrality in Providing Humanitarian Assistance? E-International Relations, 2. https://www.e-ir.info/2020/08/18/how-important-is-neutrality-in-providing-humanitarian-assistance/.

Bouchrika, I. (2022). How to Write Research Methodology: Overview, Tips, and Techniques. Research.com. https://research.com/research/how-to-write-research-methodology.

Carr, I., & Breau, S. (2009). Humanitarian Aid and Corruption. SSRN, 4. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1481662.

Cooray, A., Dzhumashev, R., & Schneider, F. (2017). How Does Corruption Affect Public Debt? An Empirical Analysis. World Development, 90, 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.08.020.

Danielsson, J., & Polasek, A.-M. (2020). A qualitative study of the ethical reasoning behind the allocation from the perspective of five Swedish-based organizations. School of Education and Communication International Work.

De Lauri, A. (2018). Humanitarian Diplomacy: A New Research Agenda. Chr. Michelsen Institute.

Fasehun, S. O. (2021). Impact of humanitarian aid on facilitating corruption: a look at nations in Central America and the Caribbean [Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, George Mason University].

Feldman, I. (2018). Corruption as Definition in Humanitarian Relations. Current Anthropology, 59, 161-170.

Goddard, W., & Melville, S. (2001). Research Methodology: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Juta and Company.

Hatim, Ya. (2020, July 17). Taxpayers Urge EU to End Polisario’s Embezzlement of Humanitarian Aid. Morocco Word News. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/07/310558/taxpayers-urge-eu-to-end-polisarios-embezzlement-of-humanitarian-aid.

Maxwell, D., Walker, Р., Church, С., Harvey, Р., & Savage, K. (2008). Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Assistance. Transparency International Secretariat.

Michae, M. (2019, August 5). UN probes corruption in its own agencies in Yemen aid effort. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ap-top-news-theft-middle-east-international-news-dcf8914d99af49ef902c56c84823e30c.

Nilsen, M. (2019). The Politics of Humanitarian Aid to Myanmar: Competing Strategies among Norwegian Aid Organizations. PRIO Policy Brief, 8. https://www.prio.org/publications/12330.

Savoy, C. M. (2022, June 30). To Keep Western Assistance Flowing, Ukraine Must Engage Corruption Concerns Head-On. CSIS. https://www.csis.org/analysis/keep-western-assistance-flowing-ukraine-must-engage-corruption-concerns-head.

Sofe, A. A. (2020). Assessment of corruption in the humanitarian assistance in Puntland State of Somalia. Journal of Financial Crime, 27(1), 104-118. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-02-2019-0017.

Usman, M. (2007). Restrictions on humanitarian aid in darfur: the role of the International Criminal Court. Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, 36, 258-289.

Utkina, M., Reznik, O., & Pavlenko, L. (2022). Financial intelligence (monitoring) during the martial law: main challenges and key points. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-06-2022-0093.

Published
2022-12-21
How to Cite
Bondarenko, O. S. (2022) “Corruption abuse of humanitarian and free aid in the context of armed conflicts: a comparative legal study”, Law and Safety, 87(4), pp. 125-134. doi: 10.32631/pb.2022.4.10.