Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean are failing to meet their citizens’ demands to combat corruption, according to a Transparency International survey of more than 22,000 people in 20 countries across the region. Despite protests against corruption in countries such as Brazil, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela in the past year, close to two-thirds (62%) of those surveyed said that corruption had increased.
Transparency International’s new report People and Corruption: Latin America and the Caribbean, which is part of the Global Corruption Barometer series, found that 29 per cent of citizens who had used six key public services – school, hospitals, acquiring ID documents, utilities, police and courts – in the past 12 months paid a bribe. This is equivalent to an estimated 90 million people in the 20 countries surveyed.
28 per cent of people who reported corruption suffered from retaliation. This could explain why although whistleblowing is seen as culturally acceptable across the region, and 70 per cent of citizens believe that they can make a difference in the fight against corruption, only nine per cent come forward to report bribes.
Transparency International calls on governments to strengthen their judicial systems, fight police corruption, and support their citizens who are willing to report corruption. They must create accessible and anonymous reporting channels for whistleblowers, and protect them and their families from retaliation. Across the region governments get bad marks for fighting corruption. On average more than half the people surveyed said their government performed poorly. In Venezuela and Peru, over 70 per cent of those questioned gave a negative verdict.
