• Description: refers to the extended topic of a resource by means of
several full sentences;
• Identifier: refers to any internal or external reference number
attached to a resource;
• Coverage: refers to any spatial location relevant to a resource;
• Rights: refers to any person, organization or service holding rights
over a resource;
• Audience: refers to any class of people for which a resource is
intended; and
• Provenance: refers to a description of the changes in ownership
and custody of a resource.191
4.3
Security and Confidentiality of Information
The collection and management of information on serious human
rights violation may present security risks to unofficial investigators and
their contacts.192 International personnel deployed as official investigators
should in principle fall under the protection of bilateral or multilateral
agreements with the host state.193 However, context-specific circumstances
such as a deteriorating security situation or the lack of authorization from the
state to carry out investigations often prevents such agreements to be in use.
It is these types of situations in which members of local CSOs or other civil
society actors engage in documentation as unofficial investigators.
It is important to be aware that unofficial investigators are not
protected in the same manner as official investigators. Moreover, contrary
to professional investigators that are specifically deployed from abroad on a
temporary basis, members of locally staffed CSOs will often remain in the
physical proximity of the location of the violation during and after times of
crisis. This makes them particularly vulnerable to retaliation. It is important
to be aware of this and act accordingly, in a manner to minimize risks. For
that purpose, this section focuses on the security of those who know, handle,
and keep information on human rights violations and the confidentiality of
stored information.
191
Dublin Core metadata initiative, User Guide/Creating Metadata, (Jan. 6, 2012), available at
http://wiki.dublincore.org/index.php/User_Guide/Creating_Metadata#Language.
192
Note that the protection of persons is a responsibility that falls primarily upon States.
193
See for instance Ola Engdahl, Protection of Personnel in Peace Operations, 10 JOURNAL OF
INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING 53 (2005) with regards to peace operation missions.
124
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