Welcome to Amnesty International Denmark’s whistleblower scheme
The whistleblower scheme allows employees, current and former staff, temporary workers, interns (paid or unpaid), board members, members of the established finance committee, business partners and their employees, volunteers, students, and activists at Amnesty International Denmark to report serious matters. These may include violations of the law, harassment, or sexual harassment.
It is important that you read the whistleblower policy before submitting a report. In the menu on the left, you can also find information about the process following a report and how your information is handled and used, including how it may be included in further case-handling steps or investigations of the matter.
What can I report?
The whistleblower policy describes in detail what you can and cannot report. As a general rule, reports may concern actual legal violations or other serious matters (such as severe harassment or bullying).
As a general principle, reports about less serious issues - such as collaboration difficulties or breaches of internal policies on sick leave, dress code, or private use of office supplies - should not be made through the whistleblower scheme. Instead, you can contact Amnesty International Denmark’s management regarding such matters.
Should I use the whistleblower scheme?
The whistleblower scheme is not intended to replace or override existing communication channels. This means Amnesty International Denmark recommends that, whenever possible, you first contact your immediate supervisor, a member of the HR department, the occupational health and safety representative, the union representative, or Amnesty International Denmark’s whistleblower officer before submitting a report.
Please refer, for example, to Amnesty International Denmark’s current policies on anti-corruption, sexual harassment, safeguarding, and close personal relationships.
This applies unless you assess that filing a report is the appropriate form of communication. If you are in doubt as to whether you should make a report or instead raise the matter with Amnesty International Denmark’s management or the board, you may contact the whistleblower officer or SIRIUS advokater. Further information is provided in the whistleblower scheme policy.
Regardless of which communication channel you choose your inquiry will be taken seriously, investigated, and handled as appropriately as possible.
The whistleblower scheme serves as a channel to be used in situations where an incident is not suitable to be handled through existing communication channels.
How will my report be handled?
Your report will be handled and assessed by SIRIUS advokater. If a report requires further investigation, either Amnesty International Denmark or SIRIUS advokater may conduct such follow-up inquiries.
Both Amnesty International Denmark and SIRIUS advokater may need to ask you additional questions to ensure the matter is sufficiently clarified and handled properly.
Depending on the nature of the report and on whom the report concerns, it may also be necessary to involve colleagues, including managers, in the further investigation and handling of the matter. Every effort is made to limit involvement to as few individuals as possible, and careful consideration is given to which people it is necessary to involve in connection with the investigation of the matter.
However, if SIRIUS advokater has insufficient information regarding the reported incident, it may be necessary to close the matter without further action. In addition, it may be necessary to inform one or more members of management of the matter in question, where this is considered necessary in the specific situation and under the particular circumstances.
Can I remain anonymous?
It is not possible for you to remain anonymous. You should therefore be aware that, in the event of a report, your identity will become known to the whistleblower officer and SIRIUS advokater. It is more difficult to investigate the matter in an adequate and reliable manner where reports are wholly or partly anonymous, and for that reason anonymity is not an option. However, to the extent possible, your identity will only be revealed to other individuals, if this is considered necessary due to conducting an investigation of the reported matter.
How do I communicate with the whistleblower officer?
When you file a report, a communication channel is automatically created, and you choose your own password. You will use this password to log in to the system to see if any follow-up questions have been directed to you. It is important that you keep the password.
You must not knowingly report false information
The information you provide in a report must be given in good faith. You must not knowingly provide false or misleading information.
The Danish Data Protection Agency’s whistleblower scheme
Finally, please note that the Danish Data Protection Agency (Datatilsynet) has established an independent external whistleblower scheme for the receipt and processing of information covered by items 1–3 set out in the Guidance on the whistleblower Scheme. We encourage you to make use of Amnesty International Denmark’s whistleblower scheme if you believe that the reported matter can be handled properly through that scheme. However, you are free to choose whether to use Amnesty International Denmark’s whistleblower scheme or that of the Danish Data Protection Agency. You can find the Danish Data Protection Agency’s whistleblower scheme here: https://whistleblower.dk/
You can find SIRIUS advokater’s privacy policy here: www.siriusadvokater.com/privatlivspolitik.