Disclosure of any personal information provided by a victim or witness may put that person’s life at risk, as well as the lives of others involved. To avoid unintended disclosure, interviewers and subsequent handlers of victims and witness accounts should securely store any information that may reveal the identity of the source of the information separate from the witness account itself. Use of codes, anonymity of the account and redaction of any other personal data such as age or family relations are useful measures to counteract the risks of unintended disclosure. 40 Further best practices on how to best secure and protect the information are provided in this Handbook’s Management of Information Chapter. 2.2 Planning and Preparation of Information-Gathering This section addresses what measures should be taken into account to plan and prepare for a documentation exercise, including the importance of a thorough risk assessment, the taking of appropriate security measures, determining the trustworthiness of those involved, the training and accountability of those involved, and the logistics for planning and preparing the information-gathering. The chapter closes with a general chain-ofcustody form that can be used to maintain oversight of who held custody at what times. 2.2.1 Risk Assessment When planning for documentation and investigations of serious human rights violations, unofficial investigators must assess the risks to victims and witnesses. Unofficial investigators should also assess risk and safety concerns for all members of the documenting team and all those who will be interviewed or from whom information will be collected in other ways. 41 40 World Health Organization, WHO Ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies, 5-6 (2007). 41 Foreign and Commonwealth Office, International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict, 33 (2014). 38