Transparency International wants to hear your story!

The Global Corruption Barometer is a global public opinion survey commissioned by Transparency International, which looks at the corruption-related perceptions and experiences of ordinary people. It asks people which institutions most frequently extort bribes, which institutions are perceived to be most compromised by corruption, and asks a whole host of questions about the effectiveness of government efforts to fight corruption and the shape and form bribe demands take in their daily lives. We’ll be launching the 2009 Barometer on 3 June.

What is special about the Barometer is that it highlights the human dimension of corruption by capturing the experiences and feelings of ordinary people, not just experts (although we’ve found that the two groups generally agree). And so we’re asking people around the world to tell us about their personal experiences of corruption.

Of course, Transparency International doesn’t just crunch numbers and carry out research. We also help victims of corruption through our growing fleet of Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres. The centres educate citizens about their rights and avenues for legal recourse, and provide legal advice on pursuing corruption complaints. The Centres are a powerful tool for empowering citizens and for creating greater demand for integrity and accountability in both business and government.

Please understand that for legal reasons we won’t be able to include names of individual persons or organisations in the corruption accounts we publish. If you live in a country with an Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre, you can get expert advice on how to pursue an active corruption complaint there.

Read more on the blog Space for Transparency.