Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human

ights defender is more vulnerable when s/he is out
on the road than when located in their office (if it is
well protected).
The vulnerability of an NGO can be seen to be
affected by various factors, such as exposure (the
degree to which the staff and property of an NGO
remains in dangerous or unprotected places), the
impact of the work programme (if the NGO’s work
has a negative impact on whichever armed actor, it
makes the NGO vulnerable) etc 7 .
Capacities are the strengths and resources
available for a group or individual to achieve a
reasonable degree of security (or respect for their/
his/her human rights). Examples of capacities are
training (in security, in legal issues, etc), group work
as a team, etc.
The risk created by threat and vulnerability can be
reduced if defenders have enough capacities (the
more the capacities, the lesser the risk):
Risk = threats x vulnerability
capacities
Summarising the former paragraphs in the schema
we are working with, in order to reduce the risk to
acceptable levels we have to:
• Reduce the threats
Summarising the former paragraphs in the schema we are working with, in order to reduce the risk
to acceptable levels we have to:
• Reduce/improve the vulnerability factors
Reduce the threats
• Increase the security capacities by training in
security,
Reduce/improve
risk assessment
the vulnerability
etc.
factors
Increase the security capacities by training in security, risk assessment etc.
Situational analysis
Threat assessment
RISK =
Targeting
THREATS X VULNERABILITY
CAPACITIES
Reducing
vulnerability
Enhancing/developing
capacities
We must keep in mind that risk is a dynamic
concept and changes with time, following changes
in threats, vulnerabilities and capacities. It poses
the need to assess risk periodically, and especially
if there are changes in the work context, in threats
or in vulnerability. For instance, risk increases
dramatically when an armed actor feels surrounded;
vulnerability increases when new personnel start
working without proper training.
Security measures like video cameras or an
armoured vehicle may reduce the risk by improving
vulnerability factors, but those measures do not
confront the main source of risk, which come from
threats and the will to execute them, if the actions
against defenders enjoy impunity. For these reasons,
all major interventions in protection should aim
to reduce such threats, in addition to reducing
vulnerability factors.
Planning the work and security
Security management should be integrated in each
of the stages analysed when planning the work.
Security occupies a specific niche when analysing
the scenario and setting the aims and objectives
of the work, as well as when planning the work,
following it up and evaluating its results. The
security guidelines occupy a specific place (in the
planning stage) in the overall process, where they
become living documents which receive feedback
from the follow up and evaluation stages.
Coping with security challenges: security
management as an incremental process
Security management is never complete, and
is always partial and selective. There are limits
that constrain the system 8 ; cognitive limits (not
all factors affecting security can be grouped and
treated simultaneously) and limits in the process
(the timing and sequence imperatives necessary
to create awareness, develop consensus, train
people, ensure an adequate personnel turnover,
implement activities, etc.). Security management
can rarely attempt a comprehensive, long-term
view: Its contribution relies on its ability to prevent
incidents and to point to the need for organisational
integration and co-ordination to cope with such
We must keep in mind that risk is a dynamic concept and changes with time, following changes in
threats, vulnerabilities and capacities. It poses the need to assess risk periodically, and especially if
7 The necessary limit on the length of this document prevents us
there are changes in the work context, in threats or in vulnerability. For instance, risk increases
from including more detailed schema on the nature and function 8 Quinn, James B.: “Strategic change: logical incrementalism”.
of the main dramatically factors of vulnerability.
when an armed actor feels surrounded; vulnerability Sloan Management increases when Review new personnel Summer 1989 (pp. 45-60)
start working without proper training.
incidents. Maybe this is not very ambitious, but we
also have to take into account that few resources are
Security measures like video cameras or an armoured vehicle may reduce the risk by improving
Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human Rights Defenders | 2nd Edition
vulnerability factors, but those measures do not confront the main source of risk, which come from
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threats and the will to execute them, if the actions against defenders enjoy impunity. For these