Defending Dignity A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights HELPFUL TIP WITNESS: USING VIDEO FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION 1. Be prepared 2. Record date, time and location 3. Document who is filming 4. Film with intention 5. Capture details 6. Document those affected 7. Contextualize with interviews or narration 8. Get good sound 9. Protect identities 10. Keep and organize your content Source: WITNESS, “Tip Sheet: Using Video for Human Rights” It is also important to think about what tools you will need for documenting your observations so that you are well-prepared when you visit the site of interest. Will you take photos? Record video? Require specialist measurement equipment (e.g. tape measures, scales, calculators)? You will also need to justify why the particular site was selected. Was it a random sample (discussed further below)? Was it a site identified as “best practice”? Was it a site that you had received particular complaints about? This should be explained in the methodology section of your report. Collecting data through direct observation can also become biased by the “Hawthorne Effect”, when human subjects change their behaviour because they know they are being observed. For example, when visiting a school to observe how lessons are taught, teachers, school officials and students must be informed of the research taking place. However, this could affect the results of the study as teachers and administrators may seek to show the observer a higher standard of education than is common. This is important to keep in mind when conducting pre-arranged site visits. CASE STUDY: INSPECTING SCHOOLS FOR CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN MALAYSIA In 2013, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) conducted a study on access to education by children with learning disabilities. SUHAKAM used several primary data collection techniques in the study. In particular, they conducted field visits to schools and integration programs. In the field visits, SUHAKAM was able to monitor the condition of school environments and facilities. In order to ensure facilities were up to the standards required to ensure an equal right to education for children with learning disabilities, the monitoring team paid particular attention to the overall space of the classrooms and whether rooms were available for speech and occupational therapy. 74