Abstract:
Corruption is a global phenomenon that the world’s community faces without any status difference in fact
its severity varies from place to place or country. Though it exists and affects every society, there is no
universally accepted definition of corruption. Moreover, its causes, forms and impacts are diverse and thus
it has an economic, social as well as human rights aspects. And, the pain of corruption touches all the
human family, its negative effect will be doubled in the case of vulnerable groups of the society. Above all,
corruption is a universal problem which undermines the universal value-human rights. The international,
regional as well as the national anticorruption initiatives and legislations against corruption take a
political and economic point of view in addressing corruption. The measures adopted in this regard, are
not sufficient in responding to such a sophisticated problem of corruption which violates human rights. The
anticorruption conventions and national legislations do not address corruption as a human rights issue
except the AU convention on prevention and combating corruption which highlighted to some extent. These
anticorruption tools are similarly applied in the study area (SNNPRS) disregarding corruption as human
rights issue.
The existing literature also reveals that the relationship between corruption and human rights is negative,
that is corruption affects the human rights in one way or the other resulting in violation of such rights,
suppressing the efforts for the enforcement of human rights as set forth in the relevant human rights
instruments. On the other hand, enhancing the implementation of human rights standards and principles to
the extent required, can be the preventive tool for the fight against corruption.
Therefore, in study it is recommended that the fight against corruption should also be diversified and
integrated, hence the anticorruption instruments should be reconsidered and revised so that the human
rights approach should be part of the anticorruption regimes. It is also recommended that the regional
government of the study area should establish binding forum so as to enable collaboration and cooperation
between NHRIs and ACCs thus the complementarity between anticorruption efforts and human rights
promotion and protection can be capitalized upon through mutual mainstreaming.
