(2) To the extent possible, try to conduct the interview in private. Do your best to make sure the person you interview is comfortable and that her testimony will not be influenced by the presence of others. The presence of relatives and friends may sometimes help a woman, but if you feel that someone present may make discussion more difficult, ask in a friendly way if you could be alone. It is always better to interview one victim at a time, otherwise other factors can influence, testimony, such as the desire to conceal something, or to influence another, or to appear brave or non-complaining.
(3) Explain who you are and why you are gathering the information. Do not make unrealistic promises about what you or your organization can do for her. Tell the witness that the interview is being conducted in confidence and that you will not reveal her identity or any particular fact if she does not want you to. At the end of the interview, ask if the witness is willing to give her name and record possible ways of contacting her in the future (e.g. through relatives abroad). Then find out whether she is willing to have her name used publicly.
(4) Start an interview through simple questions that tell you the context of this person's story - -who is she, where does she come from, when did she leave, how did she come to be where you are now. Use open-ended questions throughout that do not suggest any particular answer, such as "What happened? And then?"
As you begin discussing abuses, continue to avoid questions that suggest conclusions (e.g. questions that can be answered by a "yes" or "no"). For example, do not ask "Did he rape you?" Instead, ask "How did the soldiers behave towards women?" "What did they do?" "What happened to you?". Likewise, try not to use terms that are politically suggestive, unless you are repeating what the witness has just said. For example, do not ask "Was he a Ustasha?" or "Was he a Serbian soldier?, but "what force was he with." However, if she says, "A Ustasha pulled me aside" you could follow up by saying "This Ustasha, did you recognize him?"
(5) Get detailed information, especially regarding exactly where and when an abuse occurred, exactly who did what to whom, and who witnessed it. It is very important to try to identify any soldiers involved in the account, either by name or military group, and to determine whether their superiors were aware of what happened or involved. Always ask if soldiers or assailants said anything to the victim or others and record it as exactly as possible. Find out whether the rape victim tried to report the abuse to any authority or to get help, and whether any action was promised or was taken.
(6) Do not hesitate to ask the witness to explain something you find confusing or contradictory. If you can't visualize a location, have a pen ready and ask the witness to help sketch it. If it is not clear just what happened (e.g. "He molested me" or "He touched me"), ask questions that will help the woman explain ("What did he do?" or "Can you show me where he touched you?"). If there is a contradiction, just ask for an explanation: "I am sorry, there is something I don't clearly understand, perhaps you can help..."
(7) Always remember to be sensitive to the difficulty witnesses have with recounting abuses such as rape. Be sympathetic, and try not to interrupt or suggest words, but do try to get as many specific details as possible. If a woman tells you she does not want to talk about the details of the abuse, respect her decision, and tell her so.
(8) Record people's actual words to the greatest extent possible. It is especially important to find out what abusers might have said to their victims. Again, just ask open, non-suggestive questions, such as "What did he say to you? Did you say anything to him? What did he reply?" Towards the end of the interview, you might ask "how did you feel about what happened to you?" to give the person an opportunity to express her emotions, which are important evidence as well.
(9) Take you time and take thorough notes. Be as detailed as possible, especially when recording names, places, time periods, and how victims identify their assailants. You may find it useful to number the interviews, and record the person's identity and contacts in a separate place. Keep your notes in a secure place, and do not let anyone have access other than those persons the witness agrees can have access to her testimony. Do not discuss your notes in the presence of persons who should not have access (e.g. taxi-drivers, journalists). If authorities of any sort ask you what you learned, be non-committal.
(10) Do not tell witnesses who else you have interviewed or what others have said. This only shows you do not respect the need for confidentiality.
(11) Use a questionaire or checklist you prepare prior to the interview that includes the relevant information you need to know. (See sample, attached). This will help you to remember important questions and ensure consistency in the kind of information being gathered. If a witness shares information not directly related to any of your planned questions, follow-up with any questions that might further efforts to document any and all human rights abuses.
Other Sources of Information
(1) If you obtain medical reports, government documents or other written records, note when and where you obtained them and keep a record of where and by whom they are held at all times after they are in your possession. If you make copies, have someone certify that they are true copies.
(2) Try to maintain files of local press reports and other coverage of the use of rape in the conflict (noting date and place of publication). All sources for reports of rape, how rape is portrayed and any assertions made about the nature of rape in the context of the conflict will be helpful.
SAMPLE QUESTIONAIRE
This is just a sample of the questions you might ask during a typical interview. Do not feel you should follow this plan rigidly, or even take this questionaire with you. You may find it helpful, however, to write on a piece of paper basic questions you don't want to forget to ask. A brief checklist drawn from this questionaire would be:
- Age
- From where
- When and where incident happened
- Identity of assailants, witnesses, other victims
- What was said
- Injuries, medical care, complaints
- Name
Preliminaries
Always try to interview the woman alone, or with as few people present as possible. This may be very difficult, but it is important for her to feel comfortable talking and to make sure that the presence of others does not influence her testimony.
If it is impossible to find a separate room for the interview, try to go off into a corner. If there are a number of women present who have been raped, try to do each interview separately. Always explain how you found the subject of the interview: who brought you to her, how did your contact find out about her as a potential interviewee.
Explain why you are conducting the interview, and that you will keep her identity confidential. If at any time she would prefer you not write something down, or if later she does not want a particular fact made public, you will respect her wishes.
Be sensitive to the different terms or expressions that women use to refer to rape. Start by asking less stressful questions and work around to more sensitive issues.
Use open-ended follow-up questions to elicit information: e.g. how do you know?
Sample Questions
Age (or approximate age):
Address (or home city / village / municipality):
Ethnic/ religious affiliation (ask if it is not clear):
When did the incident occur (date and time) and what was the context?
For example, what events preceded the rape? Was it at the time they were forced to leave their homes? Was it in a camp? On the road? What were conditions there? How was the woman selected or found?
Where did the incident take place? How did the woman get there?
Who witnessed the incident? Where are they now?
Identifying assailants: How many of them? Did you recognize any? Were they in uniforms? What kind -- any distinguishing marks, or badges, or hats? (Whenever you hear a soldier or guard was present, even if he was not an assailant, try to find out this information.) Who was in charge? How did you know he was in charge? Were they guards or soldiers? Did they have weapons? What sort of vehicle did they drive?
Did they say anything before, during or after the incident, either to you or to other people? Did they call each other by name? Was anyone giving orders? What did they say before or after the incident? Did they tell you why they were doing what they did?
If the woman says she was raped, the details: How did they treat you? Where did they touch you? Did they do anything else? Where did it happen? How many were involved, and what did they do? How many times were you raped? By how many men? How long were the men there?
Were other women with you at any point? Were any of them taken away? How many? When did they return? How many returned?
What happened after the rape? Did you have any injuries? Did you see a doctor? When, and how many times? What did the examination consist of? Did the doctor make a report? (Get doctor's name and location). Have you had any physical or mental problems since?
Did you make any complaint to anyone about what happened? To whom was the complaint made? What have been the results of making the complaint?
How do you feel about what was done to you?
In Conclusion
Ask the woman for her name, making clear that you will not reveal it unless she is willing, and find out whether she is willing. Make clear that the final product of the interview will be a public report, but that you need not use her name (you can use a pseudonym) or any identifying information. Sometimes a woman will not want to give her name under any conditions; respect that decision, and give her your card or a way to contact you should she change her mind at a later time.
Note the date, time and place of each interview, who conducted it, and if any other persons were present.
