Past Projects

Atrocity Response Program

Atrocity Response Program

In 2013 the Human Rights Center launched the Atrocity Response Program to bring advances in science and technology to bear on investigations of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. From 2013 to 2016, the program worked to protect victims and witnesses of the worst human rights crimes and developed tools, including improved information sharing and investigative procedures, to prevent and document these crimes and bring those responsible to justice.

Bearing Witness at the International Criminal Court: An Interview Survey of 109 Witnesses

Stephen Cody
Eric Stover
Alexa Koenig
Robin Mejia
2014

THIS REPORT PRESENTS FINDINGS FROM THE FIRST interview survey of witnesses who have appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC or the Court). The survey examined the opinions and attitudes of 109 individuals—ranging from victims to expert witnesses—who testified in the Court’s first two trials—Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo and Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga. Both trials took place in the Court’s chambers in The Hague and concerned serious international crimes that occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo between July 2002 and December 2003. A total of...

The Victims’ Court? A Study of 622 Victim Participants at the International Criminal (Executive Summary)

Alexa Koenig
Eric Stover
Stephen Cody
Mychelle Balthazard
2015

This multi-country study interviews 622 survivors of war crimes and crimes against humanity is an independent study written at the request of the International Criminal Court and released at the Assembly of States Parties meeting in The Hague on Nov. 20, 2015. The study finds that meaningful victim participation at the International Criminal Court (ICC) hinges on greater investment by member states in outreach and educational programs, so that victims can more fully understand their rights under the Rome Statute. Also available in...

Burma

Burma

Between 2006 and 2011, the Human Rights Center worked with grassroots organizations in Burma and along its borders to assess and improve access to health care and provide basic human rights training. In May 2008, HRC staff members were in the region when Cyclone Nargis hit and provided reports to national news organizations, including National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and the San Francisco Chronicle. Also in spring 2008, HRC staff worked with students in the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy to examine the effectiveness of sanctions against Burma. Their report,...

Safe Haven: Sheltering Displaced Persons from Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Kim Thuy Seelinger
Julie Freccero
2013

Vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence arises in many forced displacement contexts, whether they are related to armed conflict or to natural disaster. Individuals fleeing an emergency situation may suffer rape, sexual exploitation, or human trafficking while attempting to secure transport, cross borders, or find lodging. Even once they are settled—whether in refugee camps, internal displacement camps, or urban centers—vulnerability to harm persists. In fact, displacement often increases individual insecurity through new and exacerbating conditions, including the breakdown of...

Safe Haven: Thailand (Burmese Executive Summary)

Julie Freccero
Kim Thuy Seelinger
2013

This multi-country study described and assessed options for physical protection from SGBV in diverse forced displacement settings. In 2015, recommendations from this study were incorporated into the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s 2015 Guidance for Integrating GBV Interventions in Humanitarian Action, the primary source of global guidance for the UN and organizations operating in crisis settings. This is the Thailand-specific executive summary report. Also found in English,...

Safe Haven: Thailand

Kim Thuy Seelinger
Julie Freccero
2013

This multi-country study described and assessed options for physical protection from SGBV in diverse forced displacement settings. In 2015, recommendations from this study were incorporated into the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s 2015 Guidance for Integrating GBV Interventions in Humanitarian Action, the primary source of global guidance for the UN and organizations operating in crisis settings. This is the Thailand-specific report. Also found in...

Safe Haven: Thailand (Karen Executive Summary)

Julie Freccero
Kim Thuy Seelinger
2013

This multi-country study described and assessed options for physical protection from SGBV in diverse forced displacement settings. In 2015, recommendations from this study were incorporated into the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s 2015 Guidance for Integrating GBV Interventions in Humanitarian Action, the primary source of global guidance for the UN and organizations operating in crisis settings. This is the Thailand-specific executive summary report. Also found in...

Safe Haven: Colombia

Kim Thuy Seelinger
Julie Freccero
Sara Feldman
2013

This multi-country study described and assessed options for physical protection from SGBV in diverse forced displacement settings. In 2015, recommendations from this study were incorporated into the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s 2015 Guidance for Integrating GBV Interventions in Humanitarian Action, the primary source of global guidance for the UN and organizations operating in crisis settings. This is the Colombia-specific report. Also found in Spanish.

ทพี่ กัอาศยัทปี่ ลอดภยั การใหท้ หี่ ลบภยัชว่ัคราวสาหรบบุคคลผู้พลัดถิ่นจากการถูกกระท า ั รุนแรงทางเพศและฐาน (Executive Summary)

Julie Freccero
Kim Thuy Seelinger
2013

This multi-country study described and assessed options for physical protection from SGBV in diverse forced displacement settings. In 2015, recommendations from this study were incorporated into the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s 2015 Guidance for Integrating GBV Interventions in Humanitarian Action, the primary source of global guidance for the UN and organizations operating in crisis settings. This is the Thailand-specific executive summary report. Also found in...