Toolkit for Ethical Engagement with Survivors

This Toolkit was developed with the support of the Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR), a project of the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights. It represents an expansion of C4JR’s media guidelines and efforts to foster an ethical approach to engaging with Survivors’ of ISIS atrocities by the media, NGOs, human rights documenters, governments, and investigators who reach out to C4JR and its member organizations who work closely with Survivors. Survivors who share their stories find their narratives online in published articles, interviews, documentary films, and social media after speaking at public events such as conferences and attending commemorations.

The purpose of the Toolkit is to prepare C4JR members to proactively support and empower Survivors when they are invited to participate in activities where they are frequently asked to discuss past traumatic events surrounding abduction and other crimes perpetrated by ISIS. It expands on the C4JR’s Internal Guidelines on Ethical Engagement with Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (C4JR Guidelines) and Checklist for Media Involvement (Media Checklist), and provides a framework, tools, and a protocol for handling these requests.

The media has become one picture – one color – the sole thing they focus on is the idea that there is a survivor who was raped or sold. They forget we are surviving until this moment, but they cannot view us as heroes. They only want to see us as victims.”
– Member of the C4JR Survivors’ Council ¹

Importantly, the goal is not to replace Survivors as primary decision makers, but to bring these opportunities to Survivors when they are ready, and to empower them through an informed consent practice that is survivor-centered and trauma informed. Additionally, the goal is to strengthen how NGOs themselves engage with Survivors, to improve their response and shift towards a more ethical way of working with Survivors.

The C4JR Guidelines are tailored to the Iraq context², geared towards Survivors from indigenous communities in Iraq that faced brutal violence by ISIS militants and their supporters. Whether from the Yazidi community where women and girls faced intense pressure to relay their stories, or from the Shabak, Turkmen, and Christian communities where Survivors have been pressured into silence, all Survivors have suffered the consequences of stigma associated with abduction, captivity, and the presumption of sexual violence. Many Survivors reflect on the lack of information and unrealistic expectations that led them to share their stories soon after returning from captivity. Those who regret sharing such personal details with the media specifically have later realized that such information is permanently on the internet and cannot be removed.

Despite the countless hours of testimony provided by Survivors, often repeatedly to different entities, and the extensive evidence that has been compiled of ISIS’ crimes, few ISIS perpetrators have been convicted for the crimes they committed in violation of international law, and only outside of Iraq since Iraq has not incorporated international crimes into its domestic law. In Iraq, most of the convictions against ISIS members have been under the Counter-Terrorism Act (No. 13 (2005)).

These trials did not respect fair trial guarantees; focused on membership to ISIS rather than prosecution for specific crimes, with the exception of one case that was prosecuted for rape³, did not include crimes of sexual violence as a terrorist act, and failed to include Survivors and ensure transparency. This result thus far has left Survivors disappointed by the lack of justice.

Informed consent provides the foundation of ethical engagement with Survivors. Research⁴ and consultations with Survivors show that media actors, NGOs, and criminal investigators have at times taken information from Survivors in ways that were extractive. Published in groundbreaking research Voices of Yazidi women: Perceptions of journalistic practices in the reporting on ISIS sexual violence, were five key findings: 1) Survivors were pressured to talk to the media; 2) Survivors suffered intense emotional distress during interviews; 3) the media exposed Survivors and their relatives to harm by exposing their identities; 4) Survivors felt it was worthwhile to talk to the media in order to help their community; and 5) in the end Survivors were disappointed by the lack of a global response to address their issues of concern.

When asked why they participated, responses from Yazidi women demonstrated not only a lack of informed consent, but in some cases coercion.

Because they asked us. I said no at the beginning, but they said, “This is for your own benefit.” So this is the only reason I talked to them. We talked to journalists many times. The camp management office is far. I walked so far two times because they said I have to, even though I didn’t want to. They said, “It’s good for you.” – Survivor, Voices of Yazidi Women

When Survivors are asked to come forward, to tell their stories including publicly disclose their identities as Survivors, it is essential that they fully understand the benefits and drawbacks of such participation. This includes providing realistic information about the potential for benefits to themselves individually and to their broader community. Even more crucial is the discussion of how the information will be used and shared, and what risks to the survivor are associated with the public disclosure.

When the well-being and free will of Survivors is compromised in the process of sharing their stories, the outcome can lead to individual harm and re-traumatization. When an individual has gone through a traumatic experience such as sexual violence in a conflict zone, that individual faces many challenges when returning and integrating to their community. They may experience ongoing threats and stressors (stigma, economic and security) especially with families of missing persons where they experience ambiguous loss, complicated grief and cycles of hope and despair.
It is essential to always remember the context in which the telling of these stories is being negotiated, one that is deeply patriarchal and where male community leaders are often the ones pressuring Survivors to talk, or in other cases silencing them⁵. Therefore, it is crucial that C4JR members take their responsibility to understand and apply the C4JR guidance and tools in the Toolkit, because advocating for the ethical documentation of these traumatic accounts can only be achieved from multiple fronts, and NGOs working with Survivors must do their part.

1. Survivor, during an in-person consultation in Dohuk, March 2024. ↩︎
2. The C4JR Guidelines also draw on previously drafted guidance including The Murad Code, Media Guidelines for Reporting on Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Contexts, International Federation of Journalists Guidelines for Reporting on Violence Against Women. Additional sources for reference include the EU Dart Center Guidelines for Reporting on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and Silence and Omissions: A Media Guide for Covering Gender-Based Violence. ↩︎
3. International Bar Association (2023). Justice and Accountability for the Atrocities of Daesh, https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=JUSTICE-AND-ACCOUNTABILITY-FOR-THE-ATROCITIES-OF-DAESH. ↩︎
4. Foster, J. E., & Minwalla, S. (2018). Voices of Yazidi women: Perceptions of journalistic practices in the reporting on ISIS sexual violence. Women’s Studies International Forum, 67, 53–64. ↩︎
5. Consultations with Survivors from the Yazidi, Shabak, and Turkmen communities. ↩︎