Whistleblowers urgently need more support and protection, says a new organisation set up to champion the needs of those who make protected disclosures.
On Friday, 14 January the Whistleblowers for Change (many of whom testified at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture) held a media briefing, decrying the lack of protection for whistleblowers and calling for an overhaul of the Protected Disclosures Act, which they say does not protect them.
In a statement read out by members of the organisation, they said they have suffered considerable prejudice as a result of actions embarked upon by those involved in wrongdoing. “We all blew the whistle in the public interest, but this is by no means only about the state. Some of us have worked in large corporate business institutions that have also failed to live up to their espoused values and commitments. Our experience has demonstrated that corruption in our country is as much a private sector phenomenon as it is a public sector scourge.”
The statement goes on to call for civil society and the state to work together to bring those responsible for crimes to book, for professional bodies to hold their members to their codes of practice and fiduciary duties, and criminalise acts of retaliation against...
False sexual or rape allegations can have devastating consequences for the accused, including reputational damage, loss of employment and emotional trauma. In Nigeria, current legislation focuses ...