Safety and protection of victims of SEA in the context of humanitarian responses OHCHR practice

1. Safety and protection of victims of SEA in the context of humanitarian responsesOHCHR practice Mara Steccazzini, Methodology, Education and Training Section (METS), OHCHR Geneva, 9 September 2019

2. Some framing remarks • OHCHR operates in humanitarian responses but not only • Same principles and methodology • Different stakeholders and processes (coordination, information sharing referral pathways) • SEA as defined in the SG Bulletin and sexual violence as a human rights violation • OHCHR has specific responsibility to investigate and report SEA by non-UN forces

3. How does OHCHR contact victims?Identification • Like a ‘standard’ human rights investigations • Approached directly by concerned sources • Referred by other organisations • Mapping sources from contextual to primary sources and survivors/victims

4. How does OHCHR contact victims?Making contact • Need to interview? Do no harm • Assess risks to contact • Avoid contact • Use intermediaries • Check security of contact means (e.g. telephone) • Arrange interview in a safe location • Challenges in making the interview confidential and dissimulating UN/OHCHR presence

5. How OHCHR avoids retaliation • Prevention • Avoid contact • Confidentiality • Ask authorities to take protection measures • Monitor, document and report on retaliation • Survivors decide

6. Threat and risk assessment • THREAT assessment • Facts surrounding the threat • Objective of the threat • Source of the threat • RISK assessment • Capacityof the source to carry out the threat • History of intimidation • Factors making the person more exposed to harm • Accessto protection

7. Threat assessment

8. Risk assessment

9. Protecting information • Confidentiality and informed consent • Explain • Record • Protect • OHCHR database

10. Challenges • Primary sources vs. do no harm • Human rights officers and specialists • Improving referral