Equipping Justice Actors and

Promoting Accountability

We are equipping justice actors to be survivor-centric, trauma-informed, and capable of delivering predictable and rigorous justice.

Impunity exists when justice systems fail to hold perpetrators accountable. Most criminal justice systems fail to deliver predictable and rigorous justice outcomes for torture and sexual violence offences.
Global experts estimate that less than twenty per cent of violent sexual crimes are reported, and less than two percent of perpetrators are convicted worldwide. Several factors contribute to underreporting, but survivors’ negative experiences with justice systems and nominal conviction rates for perpetrators are primary factors. Not surprisingly, the conviction rate for conflict-related sexual violence is almost nil. 
Stigma is a further constraint preventing survivors of sexual violence from disclosing their experiences and obtaining justice. The stigma of rape and violent sexual crimes is institutionalised into laws, policies, practices, and decision-making in justice systems around the world. This embedded stigma emboldens perpetrators and increases their impunity.

Dr Ingrid Elliott, Synergy for Justice Director

“We see high attrition rates for sexual violence cases all over the world. When we look closely, we can identify the effects of stigma, harmful misunderstandings, and attitudes toward sexual violence. We can see that social perceptions are affecting decision-making and outcomes in criminal cases.“

We equip justice systems by:

Developing Technical Guidance for Doctors and Lawyers

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Documenting Torture and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Cases

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Combatting Stigma

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Training

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Contributing to International Policy and Best Practice Guidelines

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Conducting Research

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Nadine Tunasi, Survivor Expert Contributor

“I enjoyed taking part in the development of the stigma toolkit because it provided an opportunity for me to share how a survivor should be able to experience the justice system. This is critically important to encourage more survivors to seek and access Justice. This project recognises that we survivors are experts because of our experiences, and this is a model that other projects should replicate.”

By the Numbers: Our work with Justice Systems

28
technical guidance documents for doctors and lawyers
235
medical and legal professionals trained on the Istanbul Protocol
548
cases submitted to European justice actors

Tangible Impacts

Synergy/LDHR’s joint report on sexual violence perpetrated against males in Syria directly contributed to the conviction of Anwar Raslan, a former colonel with the Syrian regime’s intelligence service.

Psychological and Emotional Impacts

● Doctors trained to document cases are finding a new purpose in their work. They are energised by the opportunity to contribute to the justice process.

● Their ability to help survivors find hope and healing through the justice process and access lifesaving medical and mental health care motivates them to document more cases and connect survivors to specialised care.

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