Striving for Protection: Whistleblowers in Jordan

Abstract

Whistleblowers take it upon themselves to protect public goods and resources by blowing the whistle on corruption. Yet, they are at risk of facing retaliation from their employers, as well as of experiencing firing, unfair appraisal, and isolation at work. In this article, we investigate the extent of whistleblower protection in Jordan. We discuss whistleblowers’ significant role in reporting wrongdoings and fighting corruption, as well as the price that whistleblowers pay to protect the public interest. In this study, we used the protection analysis approach by identifying the potential risks to which whistleblowers are exposed. Specifically, we used official documents analysis. The results are based on the analysis of Jordanian laws and policies, regional and international conventions, the investigation of whistleblower cases in the media, transparency international reports, and the Jordan Transparency Center. The review of spoken whistleblower cases revealed that legal policies stipulate protection; still, whistleblowers in Jordan face retaliation. We recommend considering judicial review to close the loopholes and to include protection principles into the rules of organizations’ procedures to provide better guarantees for protecting whistleblowers in Jordan.