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PART III : THEORY
• She may want to document her injuries in order to report what happened to her .
• She may want psychosocial assistance and medical care but not want to report what happened .
All these represent different alternatives . The first and foremost duty of a psychosocial helper is to take care of the woman ’ s immediate needs and wishes , and see that further assessment and treatment are provided .
Reporting and documenting
Documenting , reporting and denouncing allegations of torture or ill-treatment and other gross violations of human rights are key elements in the struggle to prevent and punish human rights abuses . They are important entitlements . In their absence , government and judicial institutions cannot hold perpetrators accountable for crimes .
Reporting or presenting complaints to the authorities or other bodies , or documenting signs of ill-treatment , are nevertheless separate from providing assistance and care and should be addressed separately .
A helper must be very careful when she introduces the issue of reporting . If a traumatised woman avails herself of this option , the helper should be able to refer her to a separate person who has a relevant mandate and competence to provide support in that area . The helper should clearly separate herself from this particular work . In the training we have noted that the Butterfly Woman ’ s helpers separated themselves from these efforts .
At the same time , it can be appropriate for a helper to provide specific forms of assistance to a survivor who chooses to report her case to a relevant judicial or investigative body ( see below ).
Two tracks
After serious human rights abuses , two forms of policy may be adopted . One approach rigorously separates investigative procedures from care procedures . The other separates investigative procedures from provision of care but recognises that certain kinds of medical information may be made available to investigative and judicial processes provided the survivor consents to their release and they are properly documented . The two approaches are similar but should not be conflated and should be considered separate .
Approach One : a policy of strict separation .
• Survivors are entitled to receive help and support .
• The help and support they receive is formally and completely distinct from reporting .
• The right to receive medical and psychological support and treatment is similarly distinct from reporting , to which it is not linked in any way .
• Help and assistance must never depend on , or be connected in any way to reporting or prosecuting crimes .
• Survivors have the right to remain silent . They are fully entitled to decide whether or not to report or discuss their stories , bring charges against those who abused them , or take any other steps with respect to their abuse or their abusers .
Approach Two : a policy of separation that permits release of certain information on specific conditions .
• A woman who expresses a wish to report abuses against her or her loved ones is entitled to receive guidance on where to go and who to speak to .
• In particular , she is entitled to receive information on which authorities and institutions are competent to receive reports of abuse .