Human rights documentation tools
Find in this section the basic principles behind human rights violations documentation, links to other sources and resources from ILGA-Europe.
Basic principles on documenting human rights violations
The term documentation could have different meanings, depending on the geographical context or in the field where it is employed. It is important to stress that documenting is a process including different steps. Documenting human rights violations could be based on a wide range of purposes: education, awareness-rising, litigation, direct assistance to victims, historical records. It follows that the documenting process could be different according to the purpose on which it is carried out. Generally it consists of:
a. Collecting the data: Determining what information is needed and establishing means for acquiring it. Monitoring is a key-mean of collecting information but it is important to decide what we would like to monitor according to our purpose: media, events etc. Information could be also collected by fact-finding activities which include interviews, questionnaires, survey etc. Terms and concepts need to be defined.
b. Organising the data: Recording the discovered information and storing such in appropriate containers (called documents) or collecting already-existing documents containing the needed information. There are different ways of recording data: two important tools are provided by Huridocs (see the web links): “Events standard format” and “Micro-thesauri” provide frameworks for structuring and analyzing information. Key headings and categories should be used.
c. Analysing the data to make them more accessible. This step could mean elaborating statistics, charts and graphs to make findings more visible. What are the key findings and more importantly what do they mean?
d. Advocacy and Dissemination relying upon a precise strategy. Who is the key audience? How can they be reached?
Projects aiming at documenting human rights violation should acknowledge all these steps in the process of the documentation. It is not necessary to go through all these phases at the same time. It could be an option for example focusing only on the collection of data and recording them later.
Useful links
- International human rights instruments
- OHCHR manual on human rights monitoring
- International Human Rights information and documentation systems
- HURIDOCS training manuals
- Training manual on campaigning
- Universal human rights index
- Training Manual on Human Rights monitoring
- What is monitoring?
- What is documentation? [link coming up]
- OSCE individual complaint form
Useful resources from ILGA-Europe
- Example of interview questions
- Documenting and Reporting Sexual Orientation Discrimination: Guidelines for Human Rights Violation Documentation Fund projects including a sample questionnaire
- Documenting and reporting human rights violations (presentation)
- Documenting and reporting human rights violations (hand-out)
- Evidence-based advocacy (presentation)
- ILGA-Europe Glossary
Hate crimes monitoring tools (Здесь документы на русском)
- Guidelines Hate-crime 2013
- Types of crimes: bias indicators
- Reporting form: introduction
- Questionnaire for victims
- Questionnaire for witnesses
Country resources
- Rainbow Package, ILGA-Europe (Annual Review of countries, map, index, score sheets)
- EU LGBT survey. Results at a Glance 2013, FRA
- Country thematic studies on homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity – 2010 update, FRA
- Country thematic studies on homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, Council of Europe
- Discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in Europe, 2011. Council of Europe
- HURISEARCH