o Will referral to a support service put victims or witnesses at further risk? For example, are health and security services supplied by the government and if so, might there be a risk involved due to this, and is information treated according to acceptable confidentiality standards? o Will community groups or focal people support victims and witnesses? Is there a risk of pressure on victims or witnesses from such groups? • Logistical and financial limitations: o Are the support services accessible or too far or otherwise difficult to reach for victims or witnesses? • Other limitations may include exclusionary cultural understandings, discriminatory stereotypes or policies (particularly with respect to sexual and gender-based violence). 3. Implement internal procedures for referring victims and witnesses: • Establish criteria that set out: o Who will actively be referred for further support – this may include victims, witnesses, family members or members of the community at large. o Why a referral should be made. o What kind of services individuals will be referred to. • Establish how and when the referral will be made and at what stage in the documentation or interviewing process. Consider also whether transport procedures are required to provide access to the support systems to the victims or witnesses it regards. 4. Communicate clearly with victims and witnesses: • Explain the limits of the assistance unofficial investigators can provide clearly. • Communicate the available options fully. • Explain that assistance is not dependent on the provision of information, and that information should not be provided in a particular way in order to obtain assistance. 22 Victims or witnesses that are minors should be referred to appropriate services. This can include immediate referral, to emergency medical 22 Foreign and Commonwealth Office, International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict, 48-49 (2014). 31