The Défenseur des Droits ("Defender of Rights") received more than 900 whistleblower-related complaints in 2025, compared to 519 in 2024.
In its annual report, it attributes this rise in part to greater public awareness of the legal framework introduced in 2022 and strengthened in the years since.
“The protection system and its players are better known, by union members, lawyers and jurisdictions,” explains Cleo Bour, legal manager for the Maison des lanceurs d'alerte, which provides legal and psychological support to whistleblowers – and has also seen a rise in requests for help.
Listen to an interview with Cleo Bour in the Spotlight on France podcast: Spotlight on France, episode 146
A whistleblower is anyone who reports wrongdoing or illegal activity that harms the public interest. While whistleblowing is now protected in the law, Bour notes that France has not always seen such reporting in a positive light.
“Since the collaboration of some people and authorities during World War II, France has had difficulty with reporting in general, and whistleblowers have been seen as denouncers, rather than people who risk their lives and careers for the public interest,” Bour says.
Senegal passes law to protect whistleblowers in 'historic moment for democracy'
This shift in perception is thanks in part to legislation that protects whistleblowers from retaliation, and to work done by the Defender of Rights to recognise the value of speaking out.
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