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Description
Project aims to enhance whistle-blower (WB) protection that risk their personal safety for public good but are exposed to retaliation for their actions. Lack of protection in legislation and practice results in fear of reprisal, which consequently reduces the number of reports. This decreases detection of corrupt deeds and exposes society at risk. With an online campaign (potential) WBs will be informed about safe reporting channels. The project will thus try to overcome frequent reasons for not reporting corruption. Additionally, activities for multipliers will be conducted that will raise awareness about WB protection, how to establish safe reporting channels and other techniques that improve immediate WB environment. With a transformation of an already existing Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC), making it sustainable, it will be able to fully support WBs with legal advice and referrals to competent authorities or organisations. Advisory activities will also be conducted by law students that will be trained and mentored. Students will thus apply theoretical knowledge in practice. Transposition of the WB Directive will be an opportunity to fully protect WBs in the legislative framework, so intensive advocacy will take place backed by international best practice. The project will be conducted by a consortium of three organisations – Transparency International Slovenia, a non-profit with over 10 years of experience in corruption prevention, Oštro – centre for investigative journalism in Adriatic region, the first media outlet with a safe, encrypted online reporting platform in Slovenia, which adds to the projects insight into protection techniques and online security and Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana that complements the group with its vast mentoring and innovative teaching method experience and access to the target group, which will contribute to the development of a sustainable system of the legal aid for WBs at ALAC.
Summary of project results
The project was focused on protecting wistleblowers and providing them a safe space to submit their reports. The project aim was also to make sure the EU directive on the protection of wistleblower is properly transfered into Slovenian legislation with the highest mechanism for the protection of wistleblowers included in the proposal.
Transparency international Slovenia established a new portal Spregovori on it''s web page where wistleblowers were protected and the files submitted appropriately protected. They provided legal advices to people seeking support on labour matters and access to public information. They''ve trained the students and created a legal clinic at the Faculty of Law (University of Ljubljana). They also submitted several proposals for changes during the adoption of the Slovenian legislation on the wistleblowers protection.
They provided support to 89 individuals who were seeking information and created a network of legal experts - students - that they included into their volunteer work. They also established a legal clinic at the Faculty of Law in the University of Ljubljana - the legal clinic remains active. The EU directive on the protection of wistleblowers was sucessfully transfered into Slovenian legal system and Transparency International Slovenia participated in the process.