Nadia's Initiative Co-Hosts Webinar on Murad Code Project
On April 14th, Nadia’s Initiative and the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI) hosted a webinar on survivor-centered information gathering, documentation, investigation, and reporting. The basis of the webinar was the Murad Code Project, a global consultative initiative aimed at building and supporting a community of better practice for, with, and concerning survivors of systematic and conflict-related sexual violence. The development of the Code was led by IIIC, Nadia’s Initiative, and the UK government’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI).
To read more about the Murad Code, click here. To watch a recap of the event, click here.
Read Nadia Murad’s full remarks at the event below:
Lord Ahmed, respected panelists, ladies and gentlemen and dear friends - thank you for your support ofto the Murad Code and our discussion today. And Thank you as well for your ongoing commitment to survivors of sexual violence everywhere.
No one understands the power of a story more than me. I chose to tell mine on the international stage – on the floor of the UN General Assembly, in my memoir, and to hundreds of journalists – all with the hope of helping Yazidis access support in the face of genocide.
Stories have power. But for survivors, sexual violence is not just a story. It is a traumatic experience that shapes lives and affects impacts entire communities.
Documenting sexual violence is essential for accountability and preventing future atrocities. But when our goal is to facilitate justice and healing for survivors, the process is just as important as the verdict.
Around the world, survivors have many different stories. Yet, we have common experiences sharing them. When speaking out, we face shame, stigma, and exploitation. Journalists, investigators, and other documenters are not often transparent about how testimonies will or will not be used - or the likely outcomes for survivors.
In the Yazidi displacement camp where I lived, I have seen many women share their experiences out of a desperate hope that they will receive support in return. Many also hope for their day in court but receive no information about whether their evidence is being used. Others tell their stories without truly informed consent for how their words and pictures will be published.
This is not only disrespectful, but retraumatizing. To change this norm, I do not ask that you treat survivors the way you would want to be treated. Instead, I ask that you approach survivors with the knowledge that you will never fully grasp the toll of what they have gone been through.
With this understanding, we can build a survivor-centric approach that responds to actual needs expressed by survivors rather than notions of what we think they might need. Lead with a listening ear and respect what survivors say, as well as what they do not.
We must always remember that survivors are more than their experiences of sexual violence. And we must care about the whole person, not just the story of trauma. Holistic care means facilitating privacy, justice, and access to psycho-social services.
The Murad Code addresses many of these issues. I am confident that it can be an impactful resource, especially because of its survivor-centric design. As my colleagues have shared today, this process included extensive outreach and feedback from survivors across the globe. I am proud that the Murad Code led by example, centering survivors in both the process and final resource.
This code is a great starting point. But like laws, it cannot realize change on its own. It is up to all of us to learn from and apply it. I look forward to continued collaboration, at every level, to translate these words into action.