Corruption is a cultural construct that embodies a set of actions society considers unethical, specifically, actions that involve the intentional abuse of power. Not all corruption is technically “illegal,” but all corruption is unethical.

If a government housing official leans on a contractor to proffer a financial “gift” in exchange for a needed permit, we call that extortion. If a boss requests that a subordinate run personal errands like doing the groceries or walking the dog in exchange for career advancement, we know that’s corruption. But if that same official suggests that a sexual “favor” will produce the needed permit, or that same boss promotes only women who wear short skirts and accept his lingering hands on their upper thighs, we struggle to achieve an adequate response, crippled by the ambivalence of our current legal framework and societal norms.

Wherever sexual exploitation exists, we must call it out for what it is — corruption — and treat it as such. We need new legal definitions and robust frameworks to permit prosecution, safe and efficient reporting mechanisms, media attention, and public awareness campaigns. We strive to reduce and prevent “white-collar,” typically financial, corruption. It is time we shift our social and cultural norms, our legal standards, and our workplace behaviors to eliminate another age-old form of corruption, sextortion.