Shirini

Shirini as metaphor for bribery

Shirini may also be used as a euphemism for bribes. In Afghanistan this has taken place under the Karzai administration bribes more commonly occurred in which people may refer bribes to Shirini. This can be attributed to the rampant culture of corruption and especially graft from police officers, who receive low salaries and are said to take bribes to subsist, to the highest level of government officials. Many interactions with authorities require shirini – like getting a new driver's license or paying a water or electricity bill. This discontent drove a wedge between the government and the Afghan people, who became increasingly resentful of the established politics under this administration. The western donors of Afghanistan and also by Afghan politicians, view the taming of corruption as crucial to the future of the country. As such, all candidates in the presidential elections in 2009 pledged to fight it. According to a survey by Integrity Watch Afghanistan in 2007, the average Afghan household had to pay round about $100 yearly in petty bribes, while 70 percent of the families in the poverty-stricken country survive on less than $1 a day.

The report of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) titled Corruption in Afghanistan: Bribery as Reported by Victims, published in January 2010, calculated that Afghans had paid a staggering $1.2 billion bribes over a 12-month period ending Autumn 2009 – roughly equal to one quarter of the national GDP.

References

References

1. Warf, Barney. (2018-12-26). "Global Corruption from a Geographic Perspective". Springer.
2. correspondent, Kim Barker, Tribune. (25 November 2008). "Pervasive corruption fuels deep anger in Afghanistan".
3. Cooper, Helene. (2 November 2009). "Obama Warns Karzai to Focus on Tackling Corruption". The New York Times.
4. (June 2021). "British FM says aid to Afghanistan conditional". The Washington Post.
5. Caro, Mark. "Pervasive corruption fuels deep anger in Afghanistan – Many long for harsh but clean rule of Taliban". Archives.chicagotribune.com.
6. Barker, Kim. (30 November 2009). "Letter from Kabul: solving Afghanistan's problems". Foreignaffairs.com.
7. "Microsoft Word - Corruption report Afghanistan 15Jan10.doc".
8. (20 January 2010). "''Corruption in Afghanistan: Bribery as Reported by Victims''".
9. (19 January 2010). "Corruption widespread in Afghanistan, UNODC survey says". Unodc.org.
10. (19 January 2010). """Drain the Swamp of Corruption in Afghanistan," Says UNODC"". Unodc.org.
11. (19 January 2010). "Corruption in Afghanistan -UN Report Claims Bribes Equal to Quarter of GDP". Der Spiegel.
12. [https://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/01/20/general-as-afghanistan_7286619.html "Afghanistan seeks new ideas against corruption"]{{dead link. (January 2022)
13. Rodriguez, Alex. (20 January 2010). "Corruption robs Afghans of a quarter of nation's GDP, report says". Los Angeles Times.
14. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100125222206/http://unambig.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/corruption-accounts-for-one-quarter-gdp-in-afghanistan/ "Corruption Accounts For One Quarter GDP In Afghanistan"]