Putting Survivors First: A New Way to Seek Justice

In May 2025, a significant step was taken to support survivors of human rights abuses. The International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB) released a practice note titled "A Survivor-Centred Approach to Documentation for Criminal Accountability. " This guide is a big deal because it focuses on the needs, safety, and rights of survivors while documenting human rights violations. The note is based on years of work and consultations with survivors, NGOs, and international bodies. It provides a detailed process for documenting violations, emphasizing principles like "do no harm" and informed consent. This approach is crucial in places where governments won't or can't investigate torture. Survivors are often seen as victims or witnesses, but this guide changes that. It recognizes them as active participants in the justice process. Their dignity and self-determination should guide every step. This is especially important in situations where survivors might face retaliation or further trauma. The guide is part of a growing trend towards survivor-centred justice. It's a response to a long history of survivor-led organizations documenting torture. By putting survivors first, this approach aims to make the documentation process safer and more effective.