The Victims’ Rights Advocate Jane Connors and UNHCR Senior Victim Care Officer Zuhura Mahamed recently briefed judges of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal on upholding victims’ rights in adjudicating cases involving allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse or sexual harassment.
Jane Connors stressed the pivotal role Dispute Tribunal judges play in upholding the rights and dignity of victims as well as in engendering trust.
She underscored the importance of a victims’ rights approach, which requires that victims are treated with respect throughout proceedings and that appropriate safeguards are in place to support and protect them.
The Secretary-General’s High-level Steering Group on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse endorsed the Victims' Rights Statement which sets out these rights in May 2023 and was launched throughout the United Nations system in September.
Zuhura Mahamed drew on her expertise as a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma. She emphasized the importance of carefully receiving victim testimony in a non-harmful way to avoid re-traumatization.
Ms. Mahamed suggested that the circumstances in which victims recall their experiences can significantly impact their well-being during administrative, investigative, and legal proceedings.
She also cautioned against diminishing the value of a victim’s testimony which may brand victims as unreliable and discourage other victims from coming forward to report.
Using practical examples, Mahamed described how safeguards and practices, such as the use of pre-recorded testimonies and posing questions sensitively during cross-examination, could be used to support victims who provide testimony before the United Nations Dispute Tribunal in cases of staff challenging disciplinary decisions of the Secretary-General.
This October briefing followed earlier exchanges with the United Nations internal justice system’s Dispute Tribunal, Appeals Tribunal, and legal officers.
