False hope for whistleblowers

06 December 2010Whistleblower laws give only an illusion of protection for whistleblowers, argues Brian Martin in On Line Opinion

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WHISTLEBLOWERS are people – most commonly employees – who speak out in the public interest to expose corruption, abuse and dangers to the public. For their trouble, they are at high risk of being harassed, ostracised, reprimanded, demoted and dismissed. Society needs whistleblowers to expose abuse and dangers, so how can they be protected? The usual answer: laws to protect whistleblowers from reprisals. The trouble is, the laws hardly ever work…

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Photo: Kevin Penhallow/ iStockphoto.com

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Whistleblowing

Justice

Politics

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