GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 2019 CITIZENS’ VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF CORRUPTION Transparency International is a global movement with one vision: a world in which government, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption. With more than 100 chapters worldwide and an international secretariat in Berlin, we are leading the fight against corruption to turn this vision into reality. www.transparency.org Authors: Coralie Pring, Jon Vrushi Contributors: Dr. Caryn Peiffer Designer: Sophie Everett | sophieeverett.com.au Cover image: Augusto Zambonato | augustozambonato.com Every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information contained in this report. All information was believed to be correct as of September 2019. Nevertheless, Transparency International cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of its use for other purposes or in other contexts. ISBN: 978-3-96076-126-6 2019 Transparency International. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 DE. Quotation permitted. Please contact Transparency International – [email protected] – regarding derivatives requests. GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER – LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 2019 GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 2019 Citizens can help 2-7 16-19 stop corruption Executive summary How are citizens Retaliation and lack affected by corruption? The survey of action are the biggest Key findings One in five citizens pays hurdles bribes Recommendations Do citizens know Police have highest their rights? bribery rate 8-15 Why people pay bribes What do citizens think Age matters 32 about corruption? Conclusion TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE Corruption on the rise 20-23 Government corruption 33-34 is a problem Women and corruption Methodology Low trust in Sextortion Weighting government, courts and police 24-27 Governments not Political integrity 35-53 doing enough Country cards Presidents, prime 28-31 ministers and 54-56 parliamentarians seen Taking action Endnotes as most corrupt TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the last five years, momentum has been building against corruption in Latin America and the Caribbean. High-level politicians were found guilty of corruption in Guatemala and Brazil, and a wave of legal action against the perpetrators of grand corruption swept across the continent, including the Lava Jato investigation, or “Operation Car Wash”, in Brazil. This presents a real opportunity for anti-corruption in the region. photo: iStock.com / FernandoPodolski 2 GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER – LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 2019 However, this 10th edition of and the spread of fake news, the Global Corruption Barometer and in the weakening of – Latin America and the Caribbean political institutions. A growing shows that most citizens think distrust and disappointment in their governments are not doing government has contributed enough to tackle corruption to increasing anti-corruption and that corruption levels have sentiment across the region, increased in the past 12 months but this is empowering populist across the region. leaders who frequently make matters worse. Corruption hinders economic growth and the delivery of Despite these challenges, public services. In some cases, people are overwhelmingly corruption even deprives positive in their desire to people of their human rights make a difference in the fight and dignity, like when citizens against corruption. Ultimately, are coerced to provide sexual people have the right to report favours in exchange for public corruption, demand that services, such as health and politicians act with integrity, education – a practice known as and seize opportunities to sexual extortion or “sextortion”. actively shape the decisions and processes which affect their A lack of political integrity lives, families and communities. risks undermining democratic foundations in many Latin American and Caribbean countries. This can be seen in the abuse of electoral processes, such as vote-buying 3 TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL The survey their country and that their extortion, or sextortion, one of government is doing a bad job the most significant forms of The Global Corruption at tackling it. gendered corruption. Barometer – Latin America and the Caribbean, published by The GCB found more than The data also highlights vote- Transparency International, one in five people who accessed buying, threats of retaliation if presents the largest, most public services, such as water citizens don’t vote a certain way, detailed set of public opinion and electricity, paid a bribe in and the spread of fake news. the preceding year. This equates data on citizens’ views on Despite this, the GCB raises to approximately 56 million corruption and their direct hope for positive change. citizens in the 18 countries experiences of bribery in Latin Seventy-seven per cent of people surveyed. America and the Caribbean. think that citizens can help stop Between January and March The GCB also reveals that corruption. 2019, the Global Corruption corruption is hitting some of Barometer (GCB) surveyed the most vulnerable people the more than 17,000 citizens in 18 hardest; women are more likely countries across the region. to pay bribes for health services and public school education. The results show that more Furthermore, for the first time, than half of all citizens think the GCB sheds light on sexual corruption is getting worse in ABOUT THE SURVEY CONDUCTED FROM 18 JANUARY - MARCH COUNTRIES 2019 SURVEYED IPSOS PERU, MARKET RESEARCH SERVICES AND 17,000+ PUBLIC DOMAIN PEOPLE AGED FIELDED THE 18+ TOOK PART SURVEY NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE FACE-TO-FACE IN 17 COUNTRIES, BY TELEPHONE IN ONE COUNTRY1 4 GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER – LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 2019 KEY FINDINGS 01 02 03 Corruption is on the rise Governments are Presidents, prime ministers not doing enough and parliamentarians are seen as most corrupt More than half of people think Only 39 per cent of citizens think More than half (53 per cent) of most or all elected politicians their government is doing a all citizens think that corruption and their officials are corrupt good job at fighting corruption, increased in the previous 12 and favour private over while over half (57 per cent) months. Only 16 per cent think public interests. think their government is it declined. performing badly. 04 05 06 Bribery is a regular Sexual extortion Political integrity is lacking, occurrence for many is a major issue especially around elections More than one in five citizens One in five citizens experiences One in four citizens was offered who accessed public services, sexual extortion – or sextortion bribes in exchange for votes in such as health care and – when accessing a government the past five years. education, paid a bribe in the service, or knows someone previous year. who has. 07 Despite fears of retaliation, citizens can make a difference Seventy-seven per cent of citizens believe that ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption. 5 TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL Recommendations scandals that shook the region in recent years, remind us that The ever-changing political now, more than ever, leaders environment in Latin America need to fight corruption and and the Caribbean, together strengthen democracy. Key with the high-profile corruption measures include: 1. ADVOCATE FOR 2. IMPROVE 3. REDUCE ENABLERS STRONGER POLITICAL TRANSPARENCY OF OF BRIBERY, ESPECIALLY INTEGRITY, ESPECIALLY POLITICAL FINANCE IN PUBLIC SERVICES AROUND ELECTIONS Governments should ensure a Governments should establish Governments should transparent environment for regulations; ensure disclosure make public services more elections, enforce sanctions of incomes, spending, assets efficient, invest in user-friendly against vote-buying and and loans of political parties or online platforms to access uphold and reform campaign candidates on an ongoing basis; services and streamline finance regulations. In addition, and ensure all information is bureaucratic processes. governments and businesses published in a single online should tackle fake news portal, in open data format. by reducing the economic incentives for producing it and by supporting fact-based journalism. 4. STRENGTHEN 5. EMPOWER 6. RECOGNISE AND JUDICIAL INSTITUTIONS INDIVIDUALS, CIVIL ADDRESS SPECIFIC SOCIETY AND MEDIA TO GENDERED FORMS REPORT CORRUPTION OF CORRUPTION Governments must promote Governments should engage Governments should non-political and independent civil society and create a safe recognise sexual extortion judicial appointments; improve and enabling environment for as a form of corruption and the well-being of judicial staff, NGOs and media to monitor take measures to reduce the judges and law-enforcement and report corruption. Countries culture of shaming and victim officials; and create transparent must adopt and enforce blaming that discourages criteria for case assignments. comprehensive legislation women from reporting abuses. to protect whistleblowers, Justice systems should have based on prevailing the right tools to address international standards. sextortion cases and create safe, accountable, accessible and, most importantly, gender- sensitive reporting mechanisms. 6 GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER – LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 2019 7. IMPLEMENT THE LIMA COMMITMENT Governments must implement and publicly report on progress towards the Lima Commitment adopted at the VIII Summit of the Americas, which outlines