Universal-Womens-accesss-to-justice-Publications-Practitioners-Guide-Series-2016-ENG

246 PRACTITIONERS GUIDE No. 12
CHAPTER IX
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Finding and preparing cases
Safety and well-being of practitioners and clients
A priority in any case is to ensure the safety and well being of
both the practitioner and client. Often advocating for a remedy
for women or girls who have been targeted for violence brings
their situation to the public attention in a way that can leave
them open to harassment, threats and possibly further
violence.
Seeking measures to ensure the anonymity of woman
subjected to violence by a court order is often a first step. If
this proves ineffective, it may become necessary to seek
further measures from the State, for example, relocation and
witness protection. This may also become ineffective, and the
only option is to seek safety abroad, through refugee and
asylum processes. More detail can be found in two publications
from the Women Human Rights Defenders Coalition, “Our right
to safety” and “claiming rights, claiming justice.” 669
Working with civil society
Working with civil society groups who provide services to
women who have been subject to violence can be an effective
669
Association for Women’s Rights in Development, “Our Right to
Safety: Women Human Rights Defenders’ Holistic Approach to
Protection” (March 2014), URL: http://defendingwomen-
defendingrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Our-Right-To-
Safety_FINAL.pdf; and Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and
Development (APWLD), “Claiming Rights, Claiming justice: A
guidebook on women human rights defenders” (2007) URL:
http://defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/03/book3NeoWithCovereng.pdf
(also available
in French, Spanish, Thai and Arabic at URL:
http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/ourwork/resources/.