Functions of Gender Advisers The functions of the Gender Advisers in CoI/FFMs include at least the following: • Contribute to the analysis of the mandate of the CoI/FFM from a gender perspective, and provide inputs to the investigation plan, including gender-sensitive investigation methods, ensuring that all the team is aware of the gender dimensions of human rights violations at stake, as well as identifying specific issues that affect different groups of women and girls and suggesting methodologies for their investigation; • Research and collect information pertaining to women’s human rights and gender issues directly related to the mandate of the CoI/FFM, including SGBV and violations of women’s civil, economic, political and social and cultural rights; • Conduct and/or assist in conducting interviews and information-gathering activities, to adequately document and analyse SGBV against women and girls, and against men and boys, and violence against women in both private and public settings, among others, and ensure that necessary measures are implemented for the protection of victims, witness and sources, including victims and survivors of SGBV; • Provide advice and build the capacity of the CoI/FFM to ensure that all members of the Secretariat are aware of how best to research, investigate, analyse and report on human rights violations against women and girls, including SGBV, as well as SGBV against men and boys, and understand the gendered impacts of international human rights and humanitarian law violations; • Provide advice and build the capacity of the CoI/FFM to ensure that security arrangements are gender sensitive and take into account cultural and contextual gender issues; • Support the establishment of referral pathways for victims, especially for SGBV victims, ensuring that the team is aware of those pathways and adequately refers victims to service providers. Follow-up and monitoring of access to and quality of services would allow the referral pathway(s) to be revised accordingly; • Contribute to the drafting of the investigation outcome document and final report, incorporating, and supporting the incorporation of, a gender perspective and gender-sensitive language. This includes the drafting of specific sections (e.g. on SGBV or women’s human rights) and ensuring that the analysis of facts to establish human rights violations reflects the gender dimension. should remain for the duration of the monitoring and investigation work to continue performing their functions throughout the process. The need to brief interpreters on substantive aspects, including in relation to GBV, should not be overlooked. It is also important to assess whether the interpreter can handle sensitive/ disturbing information and/or is comfortable explaining/translating all details conveyed by the victim to the investigator, to avoid the reproduction of gender bias.20 Working with male and female interpreters is also critical, to ensure that victims, sources and witnesses will feel sufficiently comfortable to disclose information to a male or female interpreter. Interpreters can play a key role in the information-gathering phase and supporting the development of a gender-sensitive glossary of terminology that would help during interviews. See also OHCHR (2011), Chapter 11, “Interviewing”, pp. 11 and 22, and Chapter 28, “Monitoring and Protecting the Human Rights of Women”. 20 15