Whistleblower Reporting - International School of Hamburg
Source: http://www.ishamburg.org/whistleblower-reporting
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:14
Whistleblower Reporting - International School of Hamburg
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Whistleblower Reporting
The Whistleblower Protection Act (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz - HinSchG) is the German implementation of the EU Whistleblower Directive, which aims to establish standardised protection for whistleblowers throughout the EU for the first time.
Legal Text:
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hinschg/BJNR08C0B0023.html
EnGlISH Translation by DEEPL
According to Section 1 § 1 HinSchG,
"This Act regulates the protection of natural persons who have obtained information about violations in connection with their professional activities or in advance of a professional activity and who report or disclose this information to the reporting bodies provided for in this Act (whistleblowers)." [Translation]
The act pertains to the reporting of information regarding violations of law. Such as:
HinSchG, § 2 (1) violations of law that are criminally punishable [Translation],
HinSchG, § 2 (2) violations of law that are subject to fines, insofar as the violated provision serves to protect life, limb or health or to protect the rights of employees or their representative bodies [Translation],
HinSchG, § 2 (3) other violations of federal and state legislation as well as directly applicable legal acts of the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community [Translation],
(...)
Such violations are typically - but not limited to - laws regulating
corruption, fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, procurement, insider trading, discrimination, environmental protection, social and health protection.
The Reporting Process:
The Whistleblower Compliance Office will:
Confirm receipt of whistleblower reports within 7 days*,
Check that the reported violation falls within the scope of the law § 2 HinSchG,
Check the validity of the report,
Remain in contact with the whistleblower*,
Request further information as deemed necessary from the whistleblower*,
Investigate and take follow-up measures,
Report back to the whistleblower within 3 months of originally confirming receipt of the whistleblower report or within 3 months and 7 days of receiving the whistleblower report. Feedback to the whistleblower will include measures taken or measures planned to be taken and the reasons therefore. Feedback may be limited where providing information may hinder further investigations or violate the rights of persons who are the object of or named in a whistleblower report,
Document the whistleblower report in a durable manner with adherence to confidentiality requirements given in §8 HinSchG.
* Unless the report has been made anonymously
Measures taken by the Whistleblower Compliance Office may include:
performing internal investigations at the school and contacting affected persons or departments,
referring the reporting person to another responsible party in the school, particularly in cases where the applicability of the law is not met,
handing over the investigations to departments in the school,
handing over the investigation to a designated external reporting authority,
closing the report due to lack of evidence or other reasons.
Confidentially Requirements
The Whistleblower Compliance Office must keep the identity of the following natural persons confidential (subject to §9 HinSchG):
the whistleblower who submits the report,
persons who are an object of or named in the report.
Some rights and responsibilities of the whistleblower*:
You have the option to submit your report anonymously and to remain anonymous throughout the process, to the extent permitted by law. Please note that the school will not be able to confirm receipt of your report or provide you information on measures taken if you wish to remain anonymous,
You have the right to make an internal report in writing, by phone and in person. Please review the internal reporting channels to the right,
We encourage you to submit your report internally when the violation can be effectively dealt with internally and you do not fear reprisal. If internally reported violations have not been remedied or you fear reprisal for reporting, you have the right to submit a report to a designated external reporting authority (cf. §§ 19-24 HinSchG):
https://www.bundesjustizamt.de/DE/MeldestelledesBundes/MeldestelledesBundes_node.html
§ 38 HinSchG stipulates that the whistleblower is obliged to pay compensation for damages resulting from the intentional or grossly negligent reporting or disclosure of incorrect information,
Natural persons who disclose information regarding violations publicly are protected provided the provisions given in §32 HinSchG are met.
*please refer to the legal text for a full list of rights and responsibilities
Who can gain whistleblower protection at ISH?
All natural persons who, in connection with their professional (work-related) activities at the International School of Hamburg (ISH) want to report information about violations of the law to our designated internal reporting office, such as:
Employees, including employees who have already left the company, job applicants, interns, temporary workers,
Self-employed persons who provide services,
Freelancers, contractors, subcontractors,
Suppliers and their employees.
Internal Whistleblower Reporting Channels:
By email to : whistleblower@ishamburg.org,
By phone: +49 40 8000 50
313
(voicemail)
In person: by email appointment
By form:
Whistleblower reporting Form
Skip To Main Content
Whistleblower Reporting
The Whistleblower Protection Act (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz - HinSchG) is the German implementation of the EU Whistleblower Directive, which aims to establish standardised protection for whistleblowers throughout the EU for the first time.
Legal Text:
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hinschg/BJNR08C0B0023.html
EnGlISH Translation by DEEPL
According to Section 1 § 1 HinSchG,
"This Act regulates the protection of natural persons who have obtained information about violations in connection with their professional activities or in advance of a professional activity and who report or disclose this information to the reporting bodies provided for in this Act (whistleblowers)." [Translation]
The act pertains to the reporting of information regarding violations of law. Such as:
HinSchG, § 2 (1) violations of law that are criminally punishable [Translation],
HinSchG, § 2 (2) violations of law that are subject to fines, insofar as the violated provision serves to protect life, limb or health or to protect the rights of employees or their representative bodies [Translation],
HinSchG, § 2 (3) other violations of federal and state legislation as well as directly applicable legal acts of the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community [Translation],
(...)
Such violations are typically - but not limited to - laws regulating
corruption, fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, procurement, insider trading, discrimination, environmental protection, social and health protection.
The Reporting Process:
The Whistleblower Compliance Office will:
Confirm receipt of whistleblower reports within 7 days*,
Check that the reported violation falls within the scope of the law § 2 HinSchG,
Check the validity of the report,
Remain in contact with the whistleblower*,
Request further information as deemed necessary from the whistleblower*,
Investigate and take follow-up measures,
Report back to the whistleblower within 3 months of originally confirming receipt of the whistleblower report or within 3 months and 7 days of receiving the whistleblower report. Feedback to the whistleblower will include measures taken or measures planned to be taken and the reasons therefore. Feedback may be limited where providing information may hinder further investigations or violate the rights of persons who are the object of or named in a whistleblower report,
Document the whistleblower report in a durable manner with adherence to confidentiality requirements given in §8 HinSchG.
* Unless the report has been made anonymously
Measures taken by the Whistleblower Compliance Office may include:
performing internal investigations at the school and contacting affected persons or departments,
referring the reporting person to another responsible party in the school, particularly in cases where the applicability of the law is not met,
handing over the investigations to departments in the school,
handing over the investigation to a designated external reporting authority,
closing the report due to lack of evidence or other reasons.
Confidentially Requirements
The Whistleblower Compliance Office must keep the identity of the following natural persons confidential (subject to §9 HinSchG):
the whistleblower who submits the report,
persons who are an object of or named in the report.
Some rights and responsibilities of the whistleblower*:
You have the option to submit your report anonymously and to remain anonymous throughout the process, to the extent permitted by law. Please note that the school will not be able to confirm receipt of your report or provide you information on measures taken if you wish to remain anonymous,
You have the right to make an internal report in writing, by phone and in person. Please review the internal reporting channels to the right,
We encourage you to submit your report internally when the violation can be effectively dealt with internally and you do not fear reprisal. If internally reported violations have not been remedied or you fear reprisal for reporting, you have the right to submit a report to a designated external reporting authority (cf. §§ 19-24 HinSchG):
https://www.bundesjustizamt.de/DE/MeldestelledesBundes/MeldestelledesBundes_node.html
§ 38 HinSchG stipulates that the whistleblower is obliged to pay compensation for damages resulting from the intentional or grossly negligent reporting or disclosure of incorrect information,
Natural persons who disclose information regarding violations publicly are protected provided the provisions given in §32 HinSchG are met.
*please refer to the legal text for a full list of rights and responsibilities
Who can gain whistleblower protection at ISH?
All natural persons who, in connection with their professional (work-related) activities at the International School of Hamburg (ISH) want to report information about violations of the law to our designated internal reporting office, such as:
Employees, including employees who have already left the company, job applicants, interns, temporary workers,
Self-employed persons who provide services,
Freelancers, contractors, subcontractors,
Suppliers and their employees.
Internal Whistleblower Reporting Channels:
By email to : whistleblower@ishamburg.org,
By phone: +49 40 8000 50
313
(voicemail)
In person: by email appointment
By form:
Whistleblower reporting Form