2.3 OSCE FIELD MISSIONS AND INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OSCE missions are organized in different ways in different countries. They also vary considerably in size. In some countries, OSCE missions include hundreds of international staff members, a network of field offices, and detailed mandates. In other countries, they include only a very small staff, and their mandates may be set out in more general terms. Almost all field operations have at least one human dimension officer, and all have the human dimension as part of their mandate, explicitly or implicitly.14 Whatever their size or special mandate, OSCE field operations are likely to be confronted at some stage with individual complaints of human rights violations. It is incumbent on them to respond to such complaints in a serious and professional manner, even if they are not in a position to take up specific cases systematically. The next chapter of this handbook focuses on the types of individual human rights violations that in the past have been most likely to result in individual complaints to OSCE missions. 14 The mandates of all OSCE field missions are available at http://www.osce.org/field_activities/. 27 2