Berlin, 15 August 2007 – Blowing the whistle: Protecting the anti-corruptions fighters

With one telephone call to the media, one video on YouTube, one letter to the right public official, a corrupt company can be brought to its knees by a whistleblower.

In the post-Enron era, whistle blowing – the act of exposing fraud, waste, abuse or other misbehaviour in a company or organisation – is on the rise. In the United States, for example, more than US $8 billion has been recovered as a direct result of whistleblowers’ actions. Whistle blowing can be an effective way to deter and detect corruption both in the private and public sectors and it provides better information flows, which increase the chances of successful prosecutions in corruption cases. But in order for whistle blowing to be an effective tool to fight corruption, legislation and clear processes are essential.

Transparency International has helped whistleblowers in many ways, including recognising and honouring their actions, and lobbying for stronger legislation to protect them against retaliation. In addition, TI has set up whistleblower hotlines and encourages responsible organisations to promote whistle blowing as an integral part of risk management. But even with this work, much remains to be done to ensure whistleblowers do not become an endangered breed of corruption fighters.

Protecting the courageous

It takes courage to stand up and challenge the corrupt. But courage isn’t always enough. Powerful individuals and organisations can retaliate against whistleblowers, threatening their jobs, their families or even their lives.

Legal protection for whistle blowing is different in each country. In the United Kingdom, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 protects whistleblowers from victimization and dismissal. In the United States, legal protections vary according to the subject matter of the whistle blowing, and sometimes the state in which the case arises.

Three international anti-corruption conventions offer a legal framework to help ensure that brave individuals who see something and say something do not become victims of corrupt power.