October 2024 stood out for its number of whistleblowing reports. The highest indicator was recorded with 40 reports in one month. Within the framework of the national whistleblowing campaign, the second phase of training has already conducted 13 training sessions, with more than 300 students, pupils, teachers, private sector and local government representatives being trained.
The training is implemented by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association with funding from USAID. In Gyumri, representatives of local government and the private sector were introduced to the whistleblowing system. Syuzanna Soghomonyan, Senior Expert at the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, introduced participants to the system, the scope of crimes that citizens can report, and protection measures.
While introducing types of whistleblowing to local government representatives, the expert emphasized the importance of establishing internal whistleblowing institutions.
Parallel to the local government representatives’ training, private sector training was also conducted. Mariam Zadoyan, Senior Expert at the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, presented several case studies to the audience, who had to indicate which type of whistleblowing would be applicable in each situation: internal, external, or public.
In both groups, senior digital rights experts presented methods through which whistleblowers can feel safe and protected.
The second day in Gyumri was also busy. This time, parallel training sessions were conducted in one of the city’s schools and at Shirak State University.
Overall, 21 training sessions are planned to be conducted in Yerevan and 4 provinces, training 600 people. The training sessions are conducted with active participation from target groups, contributing to raising awareness about the whistleblowing system and its role as an anti-corruption tool.
The experts’ message is one: “You Can Prevent Corruption: Become a Whistleblower.”
Details here.
This publication has been prepared within the framework of the “BlowtheWhistle, Armenia” project, which is implemented by the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO within the framework of the “Armenia Integrity” project, with generous support from the people of the United States through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).