When a Whistle Blower Becomes the Victim

There is nothing wrong with reporting a crime but there are limit to everything we do or say because in a country where there is no security guarantee for any whistle blower, I believe I would rather stay calm and keep quiet.

I'm someone who doesn't support evil no matter what because I know it will definitely hurt one person but witnessing my sister's experience I learned how to always mind my business, It was an experience that changed how I see whistle blowing forever.

One of the way my parents raised us was through honesty, you must not take anything that doesn't belong to you and this helped some of us till today because of this upbringing, my sister was known as a very straightforward person in her workplace, she worked in a company some years ago and loved her job so much, she believed that hard work and sincerity would always speak for her.

After some time, she began to notice that some of her colleagues behaved in a suspicious way, they often whispered among themselves and hid certain company items from records, At first, she ignored it because she did not want trouble but later they started trying to involve her in their dirty acts, they told her it was normal and that everyone was benefiting from it.

My sister refused and warned them never to involve her again, not knowing that refusal made her an enemy without her knowing it, One day, she saw one of them stealing company products to sell outside, she was shocked and confused but remembered how we were raised at home so without thinking too much, she reported the case to their supervisor immediately.

She believed she was doing the right and honest thing, what she did not know was that the supervisor was the main person behind the crime, this stealing had been happening for years under his full support and instead of punishing the thief, they joined hands to punish my sister.

They framed her and made it look like she was the one involved, no one was on her side, the manager didn't believe her because they really framed her and she had no evidence to defend herself because her brain doesn't process it, she wasn't with her phone to record what she saw, that was when I knew the real meaning of you go explain tired because no evidence

That was how she lost her job in a very painful way, when she came home that day, she cried and started explaining what happened, we all believed her but at some point some people blamed her for being too honest in a dishonest environment, people told her she should have minded her business and stayed quiet.

I saw how doing the right thing can still destroy someone, since then, I have become afraid of speaking up when I see wrongdoing, I always ask myself if the system will protect me or betray me. In Nigeria, protection for whistle blowers still feels uncertain, many people suffer for telling the truth while the real criminals walk freely.

In my opinion I believe authorities should create safe and secret ways for reports to be made, identities should be protected until proper investigations are completed and there must be strict laws that punish anyone who harms whistle blowers.

My sister’s experience is always in my mind, It reminds me that courage without protection can lead to suffering, I still believe reporting crime is the right thing to do in a fair society but in a place where safety is not guaranteed, fear will always speak louder. Until the system changes, many good people will continue to keep quiet.

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This is my response to this episode of Hivelearners community prompt of #hl-w202e3 which the topic is tagged WHISTLE BLOWING