3 Ethical Codes, Cultural Relativism and Confidentiality a. Ethical codes According to the Istanbul Protocol, ‘All professions work within ethical codes, which provide a statement of the shared values and acknowledged duties and set moral standards with which they are expected to comply’9. Members of the team should adhere to the relevant ethical codes as described in the Istanbul Protocol paragraphs 47 -72. The codes should be specified in the contractual agreement for the mission delegates (Annex 3). Codes include • United Nations statements relevant for health professionals • Statements from international professional bodies, such as the World Medical Association (WMA), the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) • National codes of medical ethics. Furthermore, team members should be aware of and respect the basic principles of monitoring as described in the United Nations (UN) Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring10 (see CD-ROM). b. Do no harm The physical and psychological examination of a person who has 14 suffered severe traumatic experiences must be handled with great sensitivity. In practical terms this means that the best interest of the examinee must be considered at all stages, even if this will be at the cost of the examination and documentation process. It must also be clearly communicated to the examinee that there is no guarantee that the medicolegal documentation will be beneficial to reaching a successful result in court nor to achieving reparations. The alleged victim should also be informed of potential negative consequences of an examination, such as risks to their own or their family’s security. c. Informed consent Before an examination or treatment, patients should be informed of the facts relevant to the examination or treatment and a valid written consent from the patient should be obtained. This principle reflects the right of the patients to determine what happens to their own bodies11. The WMA’s Declaration of Lisbon12 specifies the duty for doctors to obtain voluntary and informed consent from mentally competent patients to any examination or procedure. Although specific ethical and legal standards governing valid informed consent vary greatly among jurisdictions, informed consent is generally understood