Against a backdrop of rising corruption worldwide, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Transparency International and Transparency International France have joined forces to produce a guide for civil society organisations involved in the human rights and anti-corruption movements. So stated the two NGOs on 25 June 2026.
Corruption is not a victimless crime. When it allows funds intended for public services to be misappropriated, it deprives people of their rights—including the right to healthcare, justice, education and a healthy environment. Moreover, when it leads to the capture of public institutions, it undermines the rule of law, restricts access to justice and enables impunity.
The guide “Breaking the Silos: A Practical Guide to Fighting Corruption with a Human Rights-Based Approach” offers practical tools to better document the impacts of corruption, pursue redress and strengthen the accountability of those responsible, whether they be individuals, companies or states. It emphasises the importance of placing victims at the centre of efforts and of promoting access to justice and redress. The guide is available in English, French and Spanish.
This guide is based on a simple conviction: the movements fighting corruption and defending human rights must join forces to strengthen our actions and develop joint strategies to confront a phenomenon that inflicts profound harm on societies around the world.
The guide covers the steps involved in linking incidents of corruption to human rights abuses and developing strategies for accountability and redress, including:
understanding the links between corruption, human rights, victims and causality;
documenting human rights violations and patterns of grand corruption;
protecting individuals, data, sources and whistleblowers;
holding individuals, companies and states to account;
using advocacy mechanisms and quasi-judicial channels;
using asset recovery as a tool for justice and redress.
Recognising that corruption fuels human rights abuses is vital to protecting human dignity. By placing victims at the centre of efforts, the anti-corruption and human rights communities can make progress in combating grand corruption and its impact on people and their rights.
The PDF of the guide in English can be downloaded here. An interactive version of the guide will be available shortly.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 