Unequal Burdens: Corruption’s Impacts on People with Intersectional Identities in Lebanon

Lebanon, once celebrated for its cultural vibrancy and economic prosperity, now grapples with embedded corruption and dire prospects for reform. Lebanon’s multiple layers of social, confessional, ideological, economic, and cultural identities are governed by varied laws or rules. This creates space for corruption to combine with discriminatory practices. This assessment, Unequal Burdens: Corruption's Impacts on People with Intersectional Identities in Lebanon, focuses on corruption and its effects to measure how perceptions and experiences differ among marginalized groups and to identify any unique effects that people with intersectional identities encounter, with a focus on perspectives from outside Beirut, including Tripoli, Akkar, Baalbek, Bekaa, and surrounding areas.

In 2020, IFES conducted an intersectionality assessment, Identity, and Politics in Lebanon, which found that marginalized groups in Lebanon experience multiple levels of exclusion based on social identities, including gender, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, and refugee status. Individuals with intersectional identities are even more significantly impacted by the complexity and inherent inequality of Lebanon’s political and social systems. Lebanon has 18 officially recognized religious sects that are governed by 15 personal status laws enforced by religious courts. Social identity and the role of religion in politics both contribute to conflict and lack of consensus. These are compounded by socio-economic factors, including an imbalance in access to services – especially outside the capital, low exposure to economic and educational opportunities, limited inclusion in public service, and youth unemployment. Legal obstacles created by personal status laws and the discriminatory application of other laws seriously hinder the ability of marginalized groups to act as full and equal citizens.

In early 2020, the Lebanese government introduced a new anti-corruption law and began work on a new National Anti-Corruption Strategy. Despite the new laws, Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index placed Lebanon 150th of 180 countries, a decline from its rank of 128th in 2012. IFES’ assessment found that corruption is disproportionately impacting people from marginalized groups. Research identified the following key findings: 

• Corruption on the Community Level 
• Corruption on the Individual Level 
• Impact of Corruption and Discrimination on Marginalized Groups 
• Impacts of Corruption on Civic Participation 
• Corruption as a Facilitating Factor for Participation in Public Life 
• Corruption as a Hindering Factor for Participation in Public Life 

Explore the depth of these findings throughout this paper. 

The authors wish to express their deepest appreciation to all the individuals and organizations that supported the development of this assessment, whether at the logistical or key informant level:

Ali Othman (USPEaK), Amal Charif (HalTek), Assaad Thebian (Gherbal Initiative), Elsy Moufarrej (independent journalist), Farah Salka (Anti-Racism Movement), Fayez Okasha (Development Indicators Association), Hafiza Fouani (independent youth activist), Hind Al Soufi (Civic Action), Jad Fayad (politically active youth), Jana Issa (USPEaK), Jasmin Lilian Diab (LAU Institute for Migration Studies), Jean Kassir (Megaphone News), Juliette Jabbour (First Step Together Association -FISTA), Mazen Saadeh (politically active youth), Nahida Khalil (Madinati, independent political activist), Rania Sabaayon (Masar Association), Rasha Sankari (Forum for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Tripoli), Rawan Yaghi (USPEaK), Samar Boulos, Tarek Zeidan (Helem), Toufic Allouche (Tripoli Disabled Sports Association), in addition to one respondent who requested to remain anonymous.

At IFES, the authors gratefully acknowledge the valuable contributions of Chris Deal, Nadine Saba, Stephanie McAndrew, and Tori Wyman across various phases of this assessment, and Chelsea Dreher, Suzanne Abdallah, and Virginia Atkinson for their insightful peer review and feedback.