Problem

The institution of whistleblowers is an important preventive measure against the emergence and spread of corruption in society. Often, only whistleblowers have access to information about corruption, which they can detect and report because they are inside the organization.
Presently, the willingness to report possible corruption or corruption-related offenses and other violations of the Law of Ukraine On Prevention of Corruption is quite low in Ukraine. The main reasons for a person’s reluctance to report corruption is the fear of being condemned by their environment (colleagues, friends, acquaintances) and suffering consequences in the form of penalties imposed by the management.
When citizens make a decision to report corruption, a key consideration is the level of awareness of legal protection of their rights as whistleblowers.
The condemnation by others of corruption whistleblowing and the lack of respect for whistleblowers are caused by a number of factors, the main ones being:
tolerance of corruption, which affects the effectiveness of the whistleblower institution and is a deterrent to its development;
the lack of a mature culture of corruption whistleblowing in society.
At the same time, a potential whistleblower’s fear of being subjected to sanctions because of their corruption report is caused by the following factors:
lack of awareness or insufficient awareness of the legal guarantees of whistleblower protection and the mechanism for implementing such protection;
lack of practice of holding managers (employers) liable for violations of whistleblower rights as a preventive measure against harassment and discrimination against whistleblowers.