The citizens of Tirana whistled for the end and symbolically saved  19,440,800 ALL from corruption

During the 24 hours, in Tirana,  19,440,800 ALL were saved from misuse by corruption. The citizens of Tirana showed that they are aware that their money is being destroyed daily in front of them.

Throughout the day, the destruction of money was carried out symbolically through a money shredding installation in a transparent box, to show everyone the irreversible damage that corruption brings to society. By choosing to press the button and “Whistle for the End” to corruption the citizens stopped the destruction of money for a minute.

This “Whistle for the end” street performance is part of the Educational and Information Campaign that the Regional Public Awareness and Education Campaign on Whistleblowing, which Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI) is implementing with the financial support of the European Union, within the project “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the Whistleblowing Policies and Culture in the Western Balkans and Moldova”.

On this occasion, Mrs. Elmerina Ahmetaj Hrelja, RAI’s Project Manager, noted: ‘In this way, we also send a message that we are with whistleblowers – persons who make a brave and selfless decision by reporting corruption, putting themselves in the service of the public interest’.

On behalf of the Young European Ambassadors (YEAs), Fatjon Biba, a youth activist, and a law student, who participated in this event spoke about the role of youth in the fight against corruption. Here is his message: ‘Apparently, whistleblowing can be a strong weapon for youth in the fight against corruption, due to the fact that they are the vital part of society which are led by bravery. In schools, universities, or in workplaces, they may have encountered frequent cases of corruption or may at least have heard from their friends. Empowering young people to speak up without fear of retaliation can help authorities to both detect and deter violations.

This is not the only such street performance to be affected by the guerilla installation that is currently going on in the capitals of the beneficiary jurisdictions in Western Balkans and Moldova to draw the attention of citizens to the damage that corruption causes to societies.  Stay tuned for more information about the amounts of money that citizens in North Macedonia, Moldova, and Serbia saved during the performance.

This regional project, which is supported by the EU Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), aims to help partners in the government and non-governmental sector of beneficiary jurisdictions to improve the disclosure channels and protection mechanisms for whistleblowers; strengthen the capacity of civil society to support whistleblowing; and enhance the public awareness about the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption, by enhancing the legislative and institutional framework for the protection of whistleblowers, in line with the new EU Directive on whistleblower protection.