Human Rights Monitoring

Monitoring is a way to improve the protection of human rights. The primary goal of human rights monitoring is to support the State in its obligations to promote human rights. Monitoring can also play a preventative role through their mere presence. Government officials and other principal actors are monitored and that in itself causes them to be more careful about their conduct.

The role of a human rights monitor

Monitors should relate their specific work to the overall objective of human rights. They can log their observations and collect data for immediate action or for later use. They can communicate the data to the authorities. Monitors should not only watch for developments, collect data, and observe patterns of conduct, but they should also identify problems, diagnose causes, think of solutions, and help in the problem solving process. While exercising skillful means at all times, monitors should be proactive in solving problems and, provided they are acting within their boundaries, should not wait for instructions or permission before acting (within reason).

Do no harm

Human Rights Monitors and the tasks they are assigned should address each event arising under their mandate. However monitors will not be in a position to ensure the human rights and safety of everyone. In spite of the best of intentions, monitors may not have the capacity to guarantee the safety of victims and witnesses of infractions. It is an imperative for them to recall that the primary duty of the officer is to the victims of human rights violations. A conflict of interest is created by the monitor's desire for information and the risk to an informant. The monitors should bear in mind the safety of the informants. At the very least, the commission or ommission of monitors should not endanger the safety of victims, witnesses, or others with whom they come into contact, or the reliable performance of the human rights monitoring.

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