Introduction – ‘Responsibility to the Story’

Extract

Should human rights researchers prioritize the needs and wishes of victims in their outputs and advocacy? Should different ethical norms apply to victims and perpetrators? Can innovative quantitative research methods, successfully making the case for violations of economic rights, end up undermining the human rights cause by eclipsing the voice of the individual? Can the requirement of informed consent from victims be waived when dealing with secret detention or people who have been sentenced to death? Do organizations and institutions require fixed ethical rules governing research, more flexible guidelines, or can they rely on fostering reflective practice and field-based mentoring? Such questions reverberate in the world of human rights practice, but rarely benefit from a systematic and coherent discussion. This Special Issue aims to begin to fill this gap.

The Special Issue is entitled ‘Responsibility to the Story’.¹ It follows a conference hosted in September 2009 by the Centre...