Nearly 60 percent of people in Slovakia would report corruption if they witnessed it, according to a survey conducted by the Focus agency on behalf of the Let's Stop Corruption Foundation (Nadácia Zastavme korupciu), the foundation's communications specialist, Norbert Chomistek, reported on the occasion of Tuesday's World Whistleblowers Day.
According to the foundation, the day highlights the importance of people who choose not to remain silent. Thanks to their courage, numerous cases involving the misuse of public funds, cronyism, corruption and other abuses of public power have been uncovered in Slovakia and abroad.
"Whistleblowers from among the ordinary people are essential to building a well-governed country. Without their courage, many cases would never come to light and those responsible would not face justice. Ultimately, they help protect public resources that belong to all the people," said foundation director Zuzana Petkova.
The organisation also noted that the number of people willing to report wrongdoing has been rising steadily over the long term, describing the trend as positive. It pointed out that this has occurred despite recent attempts to weaken whistleblower protections.
"Interest in the issue and the need for protection are also confirmed by data from the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers, which was contacted by more than 500 people last year alone," the foundation said.
"Whistleblowers are people who care about justice, fairness and respect for rules. Their stories demonstrate that the courage of an individual can bring significant change for society as a whole. This is certainly not reporting in the pejorative sense, but an expression of profound civic responsibility," Petkova added.
Source: TASR
