Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Where $7 Goes a Long Way
In a society where bribery is considered against the law, it is hard to imagine that it is a common practice up and down the public service ladder. Although bribery goes on all the time in America, it is not as openly practiced as it is in countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In "Where a Cuddle With Your Baby Requires a Bribe," stories of bribes that we would think of as outrageous are brought to light:
"If you want to see your child, families are told, the price is $12 for a boy and $7 for a girl, a lot of money for slum dwellers scraping by on a dollar a day...it is being recognized as a major obstacle to economic development, robbing the impoverished of already measly incomes and corroding the public services they desperately need...Even policemen double as shakedown
artists."
artists."
This kind of bribery reminds me of the corruption of policemen in the Domincan Republic. In a country where three meals a day is a luxury, policemen often ask for favored before carrying out there duties. In once instance, a friend's father was robbed of his chain and bracelet at a traffic signal. When he approached an officer for help, the officer responded, "What do you want me to do, I haven't eaten today yet," implying that he should buy the policeman a meal before he looked into the theft.
