Steps for conducting interviews

General steps for conducting interviews with survivors include:

Planning and preparation

• Choose an appropriate location: When possible, the survivor should decide whether she is comfortable speaking in the police facility, or would prefer being another location (such as her home-if safe, a hospital, crisis centre or other support facility). For interviews in police facilities, a private space away from the perpetrator should be used. An interrogation room should not be used, since the woman or girl is the victim.

• Determine if others will be present: A trained officer (preferably a woman, although this may vary depending on the context) should conduct the interview. With agreement from the survivor, the interviewing officer may be accompanied by an additional officer and support person for the woman or girl.

• Plan the questions to be asked: Personnel should use an existing protocol or create a questioning guide to help sensitively identify the facts related to the incident (answering who, what, when, where why, and how).

Engage and Explain

• Introduction: The officer(s) should introduce themselves by name to the survivor.

• Interview rules: The process for the interview should be explained and informed consent should be received before the interview begins to ensure the woman or girl is comfortable with discussing the incident and understands what will follow.

Account

• Free narrative: The officer should start the interview by allowing the survivor to describe the incident and any other information she feels relevant, without being interrupted. Women and girls should be encouraged to explain their perspective on the events and given the time needed to fully share their experience, while the interviewer carefully document the information as appropriate.

• Open questions: The officer can follow-up on the narrative by asking additional questions that allow the survivor to describe greater detail on a specific part of the incident or clarify information from the narrative (such as “tell me about”; “what happened next?”; “tell me what else you remember”; “and then what happened?”).

• Specific questions: Closed-ended questions that can be answered by ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ may be used last to help complete any missing information from the narrative.

Closure

• Referrals/Safety plan: Survivors should be made aware of the other support services available to them (medical/ psychological care; shelter; legal assistance, etc.) and where possible, police should facilitate access to those services (e.g. providing transportation to support centres, facilitating contact with advocates, etc). In cases of domestic violence, trafficking, forced marriage and honour-related crimes, it is critical that police conduct safety planning with women and girls at risk of future abuse before the interview concludes.

• Conclusion: The officer should allow the survivor another opportunity to share any additional information on the incident and ask any questions on the process or next steps. She should be informed of the actions to be taken by police (that are realistic and do not set expectations for outcomes that cannot be guaranteed) and thanked for her assistance with the process.

Evaluate

• Individual or team reflection on the interview and outcomes should be conducted to identify follow-up actions, highlight lessons learned and inform future revisions to improve the process.

(Adapted from UNODC. 2010. Handbook on Effective police responses to violence against women; and UNODC, 2009. Anti-human trafficking manual for criminal justice practitioners: Module 8: Interviewing victims of trafficking in persons who are potential witnesses)

Key tools

Handbook on Effective police responses to violence against women, Criminal Justice Handbook Series (UNODC, 2010). This Handbook is designed to assist and guide policy officers in the prevention of, and response to, violence against women by: familiarizing them with relevant international laws, norms and standards relating to violence against women; and informing them about some promising approaches to effective police response to acts of violence. It outlines good strategies, procedures and practices that have helped police forces to enhance the safety and security of women in their communities. Available in English.

Victim Translation Assistance Tool - Life support messages for victims of human trafficking (UNODC, 2010). This tool is a unique resource for law enforcement officials to provide basic assistance to victims of human trafficking. Developed in collaboration with survivors of trafficking and survivor support experts, the tool uses audio messages with key encounter messages to facilitate the identification of and communication with a trafficked person and the launch of a criminal investigation. The tool contains 35 recorded basic questions and messages, which are translated into 40 languages, tailored for the gender of survivors and include special questions for children. Available in English.

Responding to Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Ugandan Police Force (Turyasingura, H., 2007). This Handbook provides background information on the problem of domestic violence as an abuse of human rights and provides guidelines on how to interview the victims, children who are affected by domestic violence as both victims and witnesses, and the perpetuators of domestic violence. Available in English. 

Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Draft update to annex of General Assembly Resolution in 1997 (resolution 52/86) (UNODC, 2009). The 2009 Model Strategies and Practical Measures updates the 1997 version and takes into account new approaches and new prevention tools and good practices in combating violence against women. Available in English. 

Ending Domestic Violence: a Manual for PWDVA Protection Officers (UNIFEM/ Lawyers Collective Women’s Rights Initiative/ Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development, National Commission for Women, 2009). This Manual aims to provide comprehensive, step-by-step guidance to Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act Protection Officers on how to fulfill their duties under the Act, from receiving a survivor through the litigation stage, including their court-directed duties. Written for non-legal readers and based on the Lawyer’s Collective’s knowledge and practical experience with the Act, the Manual is an essential resource for training officers to implement the law effectively and in a manner consistent with their legal obligations and the law’s objective. The Manual can also be used by police, service providers, medical facilities, shelters and other civil society groups working on domestic violence, as well as by women seeking recourse to the law. Available in English.

Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims: Resource Toolkit (International Police Chiefs Association, 2008). This toolkit is one of 3 resources in its Strategy Package for state and non-state law enforcement actors and policy-makers. The toolkit includes revised mission statements, schedules and process descriptions, stakeholder interview questions, sample action plans, partnership agreements, victim response policies and procedures, engaging staff and employing performance appraisals, informational material (brochures, press releases, websites) and links to relevant victim-related resources. Available in English.

WHO Ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies (WHO, 2007). The recommendations are designed to inform those involved in planning, conducting, funding, reviewing protocols for, approving or supporting information collection on sexual violence in humanitarian settings. This includes (but is not limited to) researchers, programme planners, donors, ethics review committees, managers and staff of humanitarian and human rights organizations, all staff involved in sexual violence inquiries (including translators and interpreters, data entry staff, drivers and others). Available in English.  

Sexual Assault Guidelines, Sexual Assault Incident Reports Investigative Strategies (International Association of Chiefs of Police, 2005). The guidelines and interview strategies are based upon best practices in the United States regarding sexual assault incident investigations and were developed in collaboration with local, state, and federal law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, medical, and forensic professionals. The guidelines aim to support officers and departments in preparing sexual assault cases for successful prosecution through detailed case documentation and thorough investigations, covering: standardized case coding and clearance; report writing; victim interview; suspect interrogation; investigation; and working with vulnerable populations. Available in English.

WHO Ethical and safety recommendations for interviewing trafficked women (Cathy Zimmerman and Charlotte Watts for the World Health Organization, 2003). This report is a resource for researchers, media, and service providers with limited experience working with trafficked women. The recommendations should be used together with existing standards and include ten basic standards for interviewing women who are in or have left a trafficking situation with an explanation provided for each standard and suggestions for their implementation. Available in Armenian, Bosnian, Croatian, English, Japanese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Serbian.

Human Trafficking Investigation Manual (UNDP and DFID). This manual was developed as part of the Police Reform Programme in Bangladesh to support police responses to trafficking in persons. Available in English and Bengali.

Putting Women First: Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Research on Domestic Violence against Women (WHO, 2001). These guidelines are for researchers and practitioners who may collect information from survivors of domestic violence. The recommendations can be used to guide interviews conducted by professionals, such as police. Available in English, French and Spanish.