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German nurse shows need for G20 check-up
byAnja Osterhauson 18 January 2012 inAnti-corruption
Conventions, Human rights,People power, Whistleblowing
The Group of 20 major world economies made an ambitious
commitment: In theirAnti-Corruption Action Planthey
promised to enact and implement whistleblower protection rules
by the end of 2012, based on existing best
practice.Doubts remainwhether these commitments will indeed be
implemented while the need for effective
protection of those who dare to disclose corruption and
wrongdoing is ever more apparent.
A recent legal case that had gone all the way through the German
legal system and on to the European Court of
Human Rights in Strasbourg shows why such protection is direly
needed. The July 2011judgementshowed how
the lack of protection for people who blow the whistle on
corruption can destroy lives.
The case of Brigitte Heinisch was shown along with other
Whistleblowers at an exhibition of the Whistleblower Netzwerk at
Kunsthaus Tacheles,
Berlin. You can find the link to the virtual exhibition below.
Photo: Petrov Ahner
After seven years of hardship, the Strasbourg court ruled in
favour of a Germannursewho had been dismissed
after disclosingmistreatmentsof elderly patients. These included
patients lying in their excrement for prolonged
periods or being tied to their beds without a court ruling.
Because her internal reports received no response, she
approached the trade union, ultimately taking her
concerns public. The employer, Vivantes Group, reacted by firing
her. She sued the employer and went through
the entire German legal system, only to find that it did not
protect her against the dismissal.
The case will hopefully provide encouragement to other people
who want to report corruption and mistreatment,
but until now were afraid of retribution from their
employer.
Similar situations could occur in manyEuropean countries,where
protection mechanisms are weak and poorly
enforced, according to Transparency Internationalresearchand
reports. In too many cases, whistleblowers do not
only risk their jobs andlivelihoods,but sometimes even
theirlives.
So whats happening with the G20s commitments to implement
effective protection legislation?
At their November 2011 meeting inCannes,the G20 Heads of State
agreed to acompendiumof best practices
and guiding principles for whistleblowing legislation, drafted
by the OECD.
This paper is a huge step forward for most of the G20 countries,
as outlined in acivil society submissionto the
G20 in September 2011.
According to the paper, G20 member states should pass dedicated
and comprehensive whistleblower
protection legislation, covering the public and the private
sector.
Legislation should ensure protection from any form of
discriminatory or retaliatory personnel action and
allow for external disclosure.
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eblowers-in-ireland/http://www.handelsblatt.com/finanzen/recht-steuern/arbeitsrecht/reden-oder-schweigen/4421820.html?p4421820=allhttp://www.whistleblower-net.de/content/view/97/82/lang,de/http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?action=html&documentId=888505&portal=hbkm&source=externalbydocnumber&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e5d0939a-0894-11e1-9fe8-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1je8Vmhn4http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases/2010/2010_11_13_jointly_respond_g20http://blog.transparency.org/category/whistleblowing/http://blog.transparency.org/category/people-power/http://blog.transparency.org/category/human-rights/http://blog.transparency.org/category/conventions/http://blog.transparency.org/author/aosterhaus/
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Companies should establish effective internal reporting channels
and provide incentives for
whistleblowers, including financial rewards.
The compendium builds on existing best practice and takes other
guiding principles into account, such as
the ones developed byTransparency International and other
international experts.
The greatest weakness of the text isthat the whistleblower must
be able to show that he or she had reasonable
grounds for the disclosure. This opens doors for arbitrary court
procedures and can discourage potential
whistleblowers from speaking up.
Would whistleblowers be in a better position if all G20 members
passed legislation along these lines?
Definitely.
The real question, however, is whether G20 members will
implement these commitments at all.
A failure of doing so will mean a lost opportunity for fighting
corruption and other wrongdoings. In Germany, a
small opposition party has presented alaw proposalto overcome
limitations of the current legislation.
In other G20 countries whistleblower protection is rather being
weakened despite all commitments made at high
level. In South Africa, for example, the recently adoptedsecrecy
bill,shrinks whistleblower protection dramatically.
Civil society will have to play a strong watchdog role to avoid
that these commitments end up being empty
promises.
Whistleblowing has a negative image in European countries. Read
a report about ithere.
The case of Brigitte Heinisch was shown along with other
Whistleblowers at an exhibition of the Whistleblower
Netzwerk at Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin. You can look at the
virtual exhibiton here.
http://www.transparency.org/content/download/48525/775659/Principles_Whistleblowing_Legislation.pdfhttp://www.transparency.org/content/download/48525/775659/Principles_Whistleblowing_Legislation.pdfhttp://gruener-gesetzentwurf.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gesetzentwurf-Whistleblowerschutz-B%C3%BCndnis90-Die-Gr%C3%BCnen.pdfhttp://gruener-gesetzentwurf.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gesetzentwurf-Whistleblowerschutz-B%C3%BCndnis90-Die-Gr%C3%BCnen.pdfhttp://gruener-gesetzentwurf.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gesetzentwurf-Whistleblowerschutz-B%C3%BCndnis90-Die-Gr%C3%BCnen.pdfhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/critics-condemn-new-south-african-secrecy-law-6266338.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/critics-condemn-new-south-african-secrecy-law-6266338.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/critics-condemn-new-south-african-secrecy-law-6266338.htmlhttp://www.transparency.org/content/download/48412/774622/Alternative_to_silence_whistleblower_protection.pdfhttp://www.transparency.org/content/download/48412/774622/Alternative_to_silence_whistleblower_protection.pdfhttp://www.transparency.org/content/download/48412/774622/Alternative_to_silence_whistleblower_protection.pdfhttp://www.whistleblower-net.de/ausstellung/virtuelle_ausstellung.htmhttp://www.whistleblower-net.de/ausstellung/virtuelle_ausstellung.htmhttp://www.whistleblower-net.de/ausstellung/virtuelle_ausstellung.htmhttp://blog.transparency.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/report_100.jpghttp://www.whistleblower-net.de/ausstellung/virtuelle_ausstellung.htmhttp://www.transparency.org/content/download/48412/774622/Alternative_to_silence_whistleblower_protection.pdfhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/critics-condemn-new-south-african-secrecy-law-6266338.htmlhttp://gruener-gesetzentwurf.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gesetzentwurf-Whistleblowerschutz-B%C3%BCndnis90-Die-Gr%C3%BCnen.pdfhttp://www.transparency.org/content/download/48525/775659/Principles_Whistleblowing_Legislation.pdf
