5 Safety and Security Measures The primary security concern should be for the alleged torture victims, their relatives and communities. The contracting organisation has the ultimate responsibility for security, health and safety matters. Security risks can be reduced by using common sense and taking precautions. The guidelines below are not all-inclusive and should be adapted to the local situation. a. Security assessment The safety and security situation depends very much on the country to be visited, and whether the alleged act(s) of torture have taken place in the country itself or in a third country. Possible measures to avoid or minimize risks for all involved should be carefully considered. A careful risk assessment needs to be carried out prior to the mission in close collaboration with the local partner. The risk assessment could be based on information provided by the local partners, the updated assessments of foreign ministries, and other relevant websites (see Annex 6). b. Security of data All possible measures to secure data should be taken. The alleged victim should be given a Unique Case Number (UCN) prior to the mission. All documents and information, including photographs, videos, audio recordings, should be labelled with this UCN only. Personal information on the alleged torture victims should be kept separate and secure, and only be accessible to the team leader. The only exception would be related to additional diagnostic tests/images carried out in local facilities. A secure place in the vehicle to store essential documents (e.g. passports) may be needed in case of an emergency evacuation. Care should be taken with the information shared through e-mail correspondence or stored on lap-tops brought on the mission. c. Safety and security measures for the alleged torture victim and his/ her family Following the doctrine of ‘do no harm’, the mission team, the local team and the alleged torture victim him/herself should be aware that the participation in a forensic examination for the investigation and documentation of an alleged case of torture holds a potential security risk, especially if the examination takes place in the country where the alleged act(s) of torture have taken place. Also special care should be taken if the alleged victim has been evacuated for examinations in 23