The Pacific regional advisor for Transparency International says it is great to have first hand accounts from Pacific people about the extent of corruption they face.
The Pacific has been included in Transparency latest global corruption barometer with a survey of more than 6,000 people from more ten Pacific countries.
It revealed rampant corruption in a number of Pacific states, with the survey participants revealing cases of bribery, vote buying and sexual extortion are common experiences.
Regional advisor, Mariam Mathew, said more needs to be done but this first initial information is invaluable.
"It needs to be taken as a first step and then we can then obviously speak to other key stakeholders to provide a more holistic, in-depth, picture around these issues. But it is good to get this initial idea of what potential areas we need to look into," she said.
What the TI Global Corruption Barometer found in the Pacific.
- Corruption is frequently a problem in both government and business throughout the Pacific
- Many government-business relationships lack integrity
- Corrupt officials often go unpunished
- Corruption in public services is common
- Uneven access to public services drives corruption
- Political integrity is low, particularly around elections
- Sexual extortion - or sextortion - is a very concerning issue
- People support their Governments' anti corruption efforts
- Citizens believe they can help stop corruption