Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human

may develop high risk behaviour, 14 which cannot
be confronted by security strategies which do not
take into account the psychological component
associated to such behaviours.
Analysis of the work context
It is very important to know and to analyse the
work context in order to define which are the right
security strategies, and guidelines to be applied.
Similarly, it is also important to anticipate possible
future scenarios, in order to prevent reactions from
the armed actors which put defenders into danger.
This brings us to the second point: it is not enough
simply to analyse the scenario, as there is a need
to make an anticipated analysis, seeing how each
intervention fits into the scenario and studying the
reactions that the actors in this scenario can have
before this presence (“how the others see us”) and
before these interventions.
It is also important to take into account the
dimensions of a scenario. We can undertake analysis
at macro level (studying a country or a region), but
we also have to analyse how those macro dynamics
function in the area where we are working, that is
to say, to know the micro dynamics. For instance,
paramilitaries in a locality may act in a different way
to that which we expect, following a regional or
national analysis; and it is necessary to be aware of
these local characteristics.
It is also important to avoid having a fixed view of a
scenario, because they evolve and change, and we
should undertake periodical reviews of them.
Integration in the area of work: authorities,
life forces, social fabric
A fundamental factor in security (and in general,
in all aspects of humanitarian work) is adequate
integration (to a greater or lesser degree) in
the area of work, establishing and maintaining
communication and adequate relations with
authorities, security forces, and de-facto authorities,
as much as with existing social structures, whether
at the community level, NGOs, churches etc.
14 Beristain (1999)
Security cooperation among NGOs and
other institutions
Real security co-operation among NGOs and other
institutions is often underdeveloped, due to the lack
of information, mutual trust or interests, differences
in mandates and missions, etc.
The spaces for co-operation between NGOs and
organisations, which they can create, allow for at
least two possible levels of integration of actions in
the matter of security:
a) Exchange of information on the changes in the
scenes of work and on security incidents.
b) Development of some common strategies for
the problems of security that are defined as
priorities.
As a minimum, at least level (a) is desirable,
although evidently better results follow with (a) and
(b); but it is difficult to pursue and maintain this
level of co-operation for reasons stated before, and
for others, which are beyond the limited length of
this article to explain. Nevertheless, information
sharing and joint strategies are powerful tools to
improve security of human rights defenders.
Coping strategies: risk management by the
group
Groups under threat apply different coping
strategies to alleviate the perceived risk. These
strategies will be very different depending on the
environment (rural, urban), the type of threat, the
social, economic and legal resources available,
etc. Most of these strategies can be implemented
immediately and respond to short term objectives,
therefore being tactics more than elaborated
strategies. Most of them respond to subjective
perceptions, and at times the coping strategies may
cause some level of harm to the group, especially if
such strategies irreversible.
Coping strategies are closely related to the type
and severity of threat and to the capacities and
vulnerabilities of the group.
When implementing protection, we have to take
into account coping strategies, reinforcing the
effective ones, trying to limit the harmful ones and
respecting the rest of them (especially the ones
linked to cultural concepts or religious beliefs).
Defending Human Rights: A Resource Book for Human Rights Defenders | 2nd Edition 15