Putting Survivors First: A New Way to Seek Justice

A Significant Step in 2025

In May 2025, the International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB) released a groundbreaking practice note titled:

"A Survivor-Centred Approach to Documentation for Criminal Accountability."

This guide is a major milestone as it prioritizes the needs, safety, and rights of survivors while documenting human rights violations.

A Collaborative Effort

The note is the result of years of work and consultations with:

• Survivors
• NGOs
• International bodies

It provides a detailed process for documenting violations, emphasizing principles like:

• "Do no harm"
• Informed consent

This approach is critical in regions where governments fail or refuse to investigate torture.

Survivors as Active Participants

Traditionally, survivors are seen as victims or witnesses, but this guide redefines their role. It recognizes them as:

• Active participants in the justice process
• Guides whose dignity and self-determination should lead every step

This is especially important in high-risk situations where survivors may face:

• Retaliation
• Further trauma

A Growing Trend

The guide is part of a wider movement towards survivor-centred justice. It responds to a long history of survivor-led organizations documenting torture.

By putting survivors first, this approach aims to make the documentation process:

• Safer
• More effective