If there is immediate danger
Contact local emergency services, a trusted lawyer or a local rights organisation. Do not increase personal risk in order to preserve evidence.
Guide for Victims
An introductory safety and evidence-preservation guide—not a substitute for a lawyer, doctor, psychological support or emergency service.
Record what happened
When safe, record date, time, place, participants, witnesses and sequence. Distinguish direct experience, hearsay and inference.
Preserve originals
Keep original files and metadata. Work on a copy; do not annotate the only original.
Build a chronology
Use anonymised codes to connect events, evidence IDs, sources, gaps and follow-up.
Limit disclosure
Share only with lawyers or organisations that need it. Check names, location, device data and third-party identities first.
Obtain legal advice early
Time limits, protection procedure, admissibility, publicity and data law vary by jurisdiction.
Do
- Use anonymous codes for people and places
- Record source and acquisition date
- Keep originals and a read-only backup
- Record who handled the material
- State uncertainty and memory limits
Avoid
- Publicly identifying witnesses or family
- Editing an original to make it clearer
- Repeatedly forwarding compressed media
- Keeping sensitive lists on unsafe devices
- Presenting another person’s account as direct experience
CRM is not an emergency-response body
It cannot provide real-time protection, medical rescue or immediately stop removal. For an urgent legal deadline, contact a qualified lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction.