Corruption Undermines Ukraine
It wasn't until I was personally affected by the concept of corruption that I began to seriously think about it.
This happened to me just recently when my young Ukrainian friend Ana, approached me for a loan.
I willingly obliged only to discover that this loan was to help her pay a bribe to further her studies at the Ivan Franko University in Lviv.
I was in total shock and disbelief.
The media bombards us daily with shocking headlines about scandal and exploitation.
The media buzz words are; information leaks, calls for transparency, document doctoring etc...
This sensationalism trivializes the world epidemic of corruption.
However, when it comes knocking at your front door, then you really stop and pay attention.
I insisted that Ana explain the whole situation to me.
It turns out that paying bribes for grades or diplomas is a very common occurrence in Lviv and throughout Ukraine! Students pay a one dollar minimum for every hour of class missed, five hundred dollars to get into a certain faculty and from 15 to 20 thousand dollars depending on the diploma one is seeking.
This is an incredible burden on the parents of these students.
Most importantly, how can one trust the infrastructure of a society where doctors and lawyers are buying their diplomas? Surprisingly, Ana does not seem to be as concerned as I am.
She takes all of this in stride.
She explains that this shadiness has been an integral part of their society for a very long time, definitely since the Soviet Era.
People now take corruption for granted.
She seems to justify the system by explaining that professors and tutors are so poorly paid that they could not survive without these bonuses.
I now understand that paying bribes in Lviv has a domino effect on the entire social system, it's a catch 22.
My poor, dear, innocent Ana is a victim of circumstances.
She is at the mercy of an unscrupulous system.
Her possibilities for change in this "culture of corruption" seem very limited.
Initially, I see her attitude as just another example of the general passivity and apathy that I have come accustomed to with my friends and acquaintances in Lviv.
I often get angry with them about their lack of protest in the face of such injustice.
However, I always come around to understanding that they have feared the authorities and the system all of their lives and that this fear mentality can take generations to overcome.
The university scenario is small in comparison to the billion dollar money laundering schemes by the oligarchs in this country.
Changes need to come from the top most level of society-the government.
This form of exploitation harms the country's reputation thus discouraging investors and ultimately undermining the overall economy.
Transparency International has ranked Ukraine as 70th of 85 of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Due to fears of a bribe oriented taxation system, 70% of businesses operate on the black market in Ukraine-serious allegations indeed.
This personal exposure to misuse of justice makes me sad and frustrated.
But I am just a visitor here and I am able to return to the stability of my country.
Ana lives here and she and her colleagues must be instrumental in challenging these injustices.
Her indifference and passivity only serve to perpetuate the problem.
She and her contemporaries are the wave of the future and they are responsible for the refusal of such an unethical environment.
I wish them all the best and a very bright future.
This happened to me just recently when my young Ukrainian friend Ana, approached me for a loan.
I willingly obliged only to discover that this loan was to help her pay a bribe to further her studies at the Ivan Franko University in Lviv.
I was in total shock and disbelief.
The media bombards us daily with shocking headlines about scandal and exploitation.
The media buzz words are; information leaks, calls for transparency, document doctoring etc...
This sensationalism trivializes the world epidemic of corruption.
However, when it comes knocking at your front door, then you really stop and pay attention.
I insisted that Ana explain the whole situation to me.
It turns out that paying bribes for grades or diplomas is a very common occurrence in Lviv and throughout Ukraine! Students pay a one dollar minimum for every hour of class missed, five hundred dollars to get into a certain faculty and from 15 to 20 thousand dollars depending on the diploma one is seeking.
This is an incredible burden on the parents of these students.
Most importantly, how can one trust the infrastructure of a society where doctors and lawyers are buying their diplomas? Surprisingly, Ana does not seem to be as concerned as I am.
She takes all of this in stride.
She explains that this shadiness has been an integral part of their society for a very long time, definitely since the Soviet Era.
People now take corruption for granted.
She seems to justify the system by explaining that professors and tutors are so poorly paid that they could not survive without these bonuses.
I now understand that paying bribes in Lviv has a domino effect on the entire social system, it's a catch 22.
My poor, dear, innocent Ana is a victim of circumstances.
She is at the mercy of an unscrupulous system.
Her possibilities for change in this "culture of corruption" seem very limited.
Initially, I see her attitude as just another example of the general passivity and apathy that I have come accustomed to with my friends and acquaintances in Lviv.
I often get angry with them about their lack of protest in the face of such injustice.
However, I always come around to understanding that they have feared the authorities and the system all of their lives and that this fear mentality can take generations to overcome.
The university scenario is small in comparison to the billion dollar money laundering schemes by the oligarchs in this country.
Changes need to come from the top most level of society-the government.
This form of exploitation harms the country's reputation thus discouraging investors and ultimately undermining the overall economy.
Transparency International has ranked Ukraine as 70th of 85 of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Due to fears of a bribe oriented taxation system, 70% of businesses operate on the black market in Ukraine-serious allegations indeed.
This personal exposure to misuse of justice makes me sad and frustrated.
But I am just a visitor here and I am able to return to the stability of my country.
Ana lives here and she and her colleagues must be instrumental in challenging these injustices.
Her indifference and passivity only serve to perpetuate the problem.
She and her contemporaries are the wave of the future and they are responsible for the refusal of such an unethical environment.
I wish them all the best and a very bright future.
