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Consultancy: NEW METHODOLOGY FOR HUMAN SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE INCIDENT REPORTING

Posted on August 10th, 2008 by Nick.
Categories: Uncategorized.

After many years of working in the field in areas that required exhaustive assessment of all the conditions creating human rights abuses, I have developed a detailed methodology for the collection of data according to a specific dataset. This dataset examines all the contributing issues of the human rights abuse, incident or threat to human security. It rationale is to answer in a qualitative manner with a controlled vocabulary, questions that may bring out a clear and irrefutable pattern to evidence of widespread human rights abuses, with a focus on honestly identifying the VICTIM, VIOLATION and PERPETRATOR, but with an emphasis on contextual contributors of the human security environment and looking at significant actors such as military, paramilitary, corporate or industrial personnel.
I am available to assist on a consultancy basis in the organisational deployment of this methodology appropriate to the needs of your organisation, with fees relative and appropriate to the level of work involved, and the financial resources of the contracting organisation.

Where appropriate an existing and freely available software structure is utilised, with options (depending on the budget of the organisation) of acquiring the use of proprietry pattern analysis software.

I have assisted in the process of instituting formal or co-ordinated monitoring mechanisms to be improved within our region for accurate, confirmed and real-time information for immediate media and international observer dissemination. Human rights workers and advocates will from time to time, get information from contacts inside of an urgent nature, about civil or military issues. The important things is to treat it as urgent, and to treat it as a human rights issue, even if it may be about military operations (this eliminates the possibility of accusations of espionage, given that this is what monitors generally get accused of). This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of human rights and human security work:

How can one verify the reports of abuses coming out, to eliminate the (justifiable) fears and look at purely the facts of the situation, so that international agencies and press can actually work with our information and action it?

I generally utilise a standard human rights monitoring methodology and criteria: The old who did what to whom; How, Where, When and Why mantra, not forgetting the conspiracy theorists most important question – who benefits? In short the questions that need to be answered with as much pertinent information as available of the following, without any embellishment, or political spin:

Who did what to whom?
What Happened?
Where did it happen?
When? (Timelines or Chronologies are very helpful in this situation);
Who was involved (Victim, Perpetrator, Witness)
What caused it? (Exact Political Context (just the facts not the spin), specific military operation, militia mobilisation, previous attacks, demonstrations, flag raisings?)
Casualties? (Dead, injured, missing)
What injuries sustained? Condition of injured? Access to medical treatment?
Access to legal representation?
Any harassment or intimidation of witnesses? If so, who, what, when, why and how?
Which Unit of Police, military or intelligence?
Names and service numbers of perpetrators?
Whodunnit?
Who told them to do it?
Any arrests? What charges? Under which Law? When is the trial? Any evidence of torture or mistreatment in custody? If so, who, what, when, why and how?
Threat level for further violations?
Any counter actions? Any mop up operations, security sweeps, or imposition of curfews? Any houses burnt, pigs killed, gardens destroyed?
Any intelligence operations result? Are families of victims or witnesses being targeted? Any group interrogations?
What military or security hardware (weapons, trucks, aircraft, tanks, helicopters, artillery) were utilised in the violation?
Who benefits directly from the action or arrest?
Telephone and fax numbers (mobile phones best) for commanders involved?
Is it possible to get independent confirmations from 3 sources? Sometime this is a difficult issue. You have to make a judgement here: Is the source a reliable, verifiable source with a history on accurate information?

If this approach seems useful, then please do not hesitate to contact me on +61 (0) 409 268 978 or manukoreri at riseup.net, and I will assist you to develop it for your organisational and regional needs.

Nick Chesterfield

August 2008
This methodolgy and all material unless indicated on this page is Copyrighted (Nick Chesterfield 2008), but I am sympathetic to the financial positions of smaller NGOs.

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