Whistleblower protection procedure
Introduction
Amnesty is committed to the highest standards of transparency, honesty and accountability in its operations.
These instructions define the internal procedures to follow if you have reasonable grounds to suspect that another person working in the Section has committed an offence, acted unethically or unlawfully, or been severely negligent. The instructions are intended to safeguard the appropriate and confidential treatment of reports made in good faith and prevent you from being subjected to retaliatory measures or negative consequences for whistleblowing.
Before you submit a report, familiarise yourself with the general prerequisites for whistleblower protection:
- When you submit a report, you must have reasonable grounds to believe that the information about the offence is true.
- The information about the offence should be covered by the Whistleblower Protection Act.
- You should be reporting misconduct observed at work.
If you intentionally report false information, you can be punished, and you may be liable for damages.
These instructions apply to everyone in the Finnish Section, including employees, volunteers, activists, and contractual and cooperating partners. The instructions apply to reports that a person submits in good faith with reasonable grounds to believe that one of the following has occurred, is occurring or is likely to occur:
- Violation of privacy and personal data protection
- Information security breach in a network or information system
- Crime (such as fraud, embezzlement, bribery or theft)
- Miscarriage of justice
- Acts that endanger life or health or could harm the environment
- Breach of a legal obligation
- Concealment of any of the above
Principles
Everyone should understand the importance of preventing misconduct at work.Employees must be vigilant in detecting potential misconduct and reporting it immediately.
All cases brought forward in accordance with these instructions will be investigated thoroughly, confidentially and without delay.
An employee who blows the whistle must not be adversely affected by the matter. Whistleblowing must not affect their treatment, duties, continuation of employment, or promotion or training prospects. However, intentionally submitting a false report could lead to instructional or disciplinary action.
Whistleblowing procedure
First, inform your supervisor of the reasonable grounds for suspicion, as defined in these instructions. If the report is about your supervisor, or if you otherwise feel unable to talk to your supervisor about the matter, you should communicate the matter to the Director, Finance Manager or Human Resources Specialist. You can also submit a report in writing and anonymously using the form for reporting misconduct: Form for reporting misconduct
The information entered into the form is automatically sent to Amnesty’s Director, Finance Manager and Human Resources Specialist. Everyone in the Finnish Section can use the form, including employees, volunteers, activists, and contractual and cooperating partners.
Reports can always be submitted anonymously. If you choose to fill in the form anonymously, you should be aware that you cannot be kept up to date on the progress of the investigation into the reported matter. You can receive more information if you submit the report in your own name.
The Act on the Protection of Persons Reporting Violations of European Union and National Law (1171/2022) applies to the form.
If the parties mentioned above fail to take adequate action to investigate and resolve the matter, you can submit a written report to the Section Chair. If the report concerns the Section Director or Chair, submit it to the international secretariat (addressed to the Programme Director, Movement Building).
The party receiving the report will conduct a preliminary assessment and acknowledge receipt if you included your contact details in the report. You may be asked for further information to support the investigation at a later stage. Otherwise, the people who received the report are responsible for processing it from this point onwards. Your identity will be kept secret.
External parties
Although these instructions are intended to safeguard the internal investigation and resolution of misconduct, people working in the Section are entitled to report serious cases or exceptional circumstances directly to the authorities (such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the police). However, bringing the matter to the attention of other third parties (such as the media or partners) before reporting it internally is considered inappropriate behaviour.