rights). However, it can also be adapted to cover other aspects of human rights, including
the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights. This model can be
implemented through many different tools depending on the volume of information or the
kind of analysis you want to perform, but the basic principles remain the same.
Following, we describe the basis of this model. Starting from the basic entities, it is easy to
add new ones to complete the model and make it able to meet our requirements. We
understand that each organization has its own particular needs, so the model can and
should be customized in order to fit them.
Main entities: event, victim and perpetrator
The event constitutes the basic unit, the center of the model, and it encompasses one or
various related acts taking place sequentially or at the same time. For human rights
documenters, the scope of work is commonly composed of acts of commission and
omission, which potentially constitute rights violations. Usually, the event is described
through a set of core properties, as the title, the geographical location, de initial and final
date, the description, the rights affected, the violation typology, the supporting evidence,
etc.
The act, on the other hand, is the entity connected with victims and alleged perpetrators.
Aside from this information, the act also has a specific date and location, and should
include detailed information about the method of violence and its attribution.
People might get involved in events through different roles, mainly as victims or
perpetrators. People can also act as sources or intervening parties in the event, as
witnesses or complainants.
These entities are usually described with biographic information about the individuals or
groups (families, organizations, communities, social groups, etc.) and are linked to acts.
The perpetrator is the individual or group who commits the act (or the one who fails to
meet the obligations to protect and fulfill rights), it could be either a person (frequently a
state official) or an institution like, an specific state office or the government.
Allowing disaggregation of data and giving space to be specific through the data model will
be an asset, since you will be always able to aggregate data later, while the viceversa mode
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