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• as a coping skill, may (have) develop(ed) a sense of loyalty or other positive feelings towards the perpetrator and may try to protect them from the authorities; and • have unmet medical needs, including nutrition or lack of sleep. 30 Remember to offer to refer a victim or witness to appropriate health or social care services if they appear to be suffering from re-traumatization. To avoid unethical behavior when handling or collecting information: • Act with respect for human dignity when examining and collecting information, including for the victim’s/witness’ privacy and personal beliefs. Be careful with interaction with the media and be aware that exposure to the media or the public may lead to secondary victimization, and even to retaliations from the perpetrators. • Avoid re-traumatization, secondary victimization, and exposure to retaliation.31 • Be mindful of the safety of those who provide information at all times. 32 • Always exercise good personal judgment and professional common sense. 2.1.6 Impartiality An unofficial investigator should bear in mind the aims of justice, and therefore aim to conduct the documentation process impartially. It is up to judicial systems and other redress processes to weigh the evidence and determine responsibility, or guilt or innocence. 33 To avoid unethical behavior when handling or collecting information: • Respect applicable local laws as well as codes of professional conduct. 30 Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center, Human Trafficking Task Force E-Guide, 5.3. 31 Office on Drugs and Crime, CRIME SCENE AND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AWARENESS FOR NON-FORENSIC PERSONNEL, 6 (2009). 32 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring, 88 (1996); International Bar Association and Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, The Lund-London Guidelines, 17 (2009). 33 Aric Dutelle, Ethics in Crime Scene Investigation, in AN INTRODUCTION TO CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION 53, 60 (2nd ed., 2014), available at http://samples.jbpub.com/9781284020656/45427_CH03_secure.pdf. 35

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PILPG Handbook on Civil Society Documentation of Serious Human Rights Violations Sept 2016

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Documentation Purpose

Perpetrator-centred documentation

Topic(s)

Data/Information Strategy
Preservation and Archiving
Verification

Type

Guide

Description: Increasingly, civil society actors engage in documentation and investigation processes, seeking to collect evidence against those responsible for serious human rights violations. The purpose of this Handbook is to provide guidelines and best practices for the collection and management of information on serious human rights situations for those that are not professionally trained in such documentation practices. While the Handbook strongly emphasizes the need to refrain from investigating human rights abuses and to refer to professionals, practice shows that this is not always possible. Only under such circumstances and as a last resort may civil society actors consider engaging in certain documentation practices and not in others, always seeking to include professionals when and where possible. They may however only do so by adhering to the ethical principles and documentation guidelines that are provided in this Handbook. These enable unofficial investigators to do no harm, identify security risks, preserve crime scenes, prevent the loss of evidence, and manage the information in manner that preserves confidentiality, security and probative value, with an eye to possible use in later redress processes and without jeopardizing the future work of professionally trained and officially appointed investigators.

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PILPG_Handbook_on_Civil_Society_Documentation_of_Serious_Human_Rights_Violations_Sept_2016_tcm289-785328.pdf
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PILPG Handbook on Civil Society Documentation of Serious Human Rights Violations Sept 2016

Primary Documents

Verification Handbook

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