In this part of the world where we've been thought to mind our business in order to stay safe, people witness tons and dozens of crimes everyday but they don't speak up. There have been several cases where we witness a person getting robbed by the roadside, or probably being bullied, but instead of calling out on the perpetrators, we turn blind eyes and deaf ears for the sake of our own safety. But this isn't supposed to be so. Why should people be scared of speaking up when they witness a crime, even though the government has long passed a rule that anyone who witnesses a crime should call out?
In churches, in schools, even in companies, when someone decides to finally blow the whistle about the hideous things they have witnessed going on, instead of applauding the person's bravery, we say she should've minded her business. She should've looked the other way. We even go as far as advising them to be on the run because what she has done is considered to be snitching.
Though I've never considered to blow the whistle for once, but I've seen people do it and I saw what happened after.
In my school, a brave lecturer blew the whistle on the ongoing crime in the department, though students applauded him, but when things took a rough turn for him, we all turned a blind eyes because apparently we're still students and making a move could be risking your admission. That was how they drove this man to the edge and one day, we stopped seeing him around, and nobody said a word.
Whistleblowing is indeed dangerous, and that's why so many people has taken to the internet. When they want to expose a crime, they come on TikTok and say it, and when people don't hear from them again, they carry placards that says justice for them. But for how long? The longest the protest could go on is a month, sometimes, a week and then it's all forgotten.
It is also true that many whistleblowers are attention-seekers. They don't witness anything, but the sudden urge to feel important makes them come out, especially on TikTok and say things. But whatever they say shouldn't just be ignored. Investigations should be made to confirm how true or false the crime is before anything else. If it is false, the person could be arrested. That way, people would think twice before telling huge lies.
Personally, I might not advise my friends to be whistleblowers, and that is because I'd fear for their safety. And it is not even supposed to be like that. If the government should put in place, measures to keep a whistleblower safe, I'm sure 78% of crimes will be solved. The major problem about this is that the person you're blowing the whistle on might have the authorities, and even the government in their pockets. And then the said government he or she was hoping on to keep him save, will still be the reason he isn't safe.
In conclusion, though people tag it "snitching", when someone blows the whistle on maybe their company, their school, their churches and their friends. We shouldn't stop speaking up when we witness a crime. It is better to be a snitch for a good cause, than to be silent and live with guilt.
Also, the government should put together good security measures, or even create a task force that'd protect this person, even from the government itself. When people feel safe, they will blow the whistle.
