MEASURES FOR PERSONAL SECURITY

REGIONAL FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ASSISTANCE (INREDH, ECUADOR)

PREVENTATIVE MEASUERES

IN THE HOME

AT WORK

WHEN TRAVELLING

IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND TAXIS

IN EXTREME SITUATIONS

IN CASE OF THREATS OR ATTACKS

IN CASE OF DETENTION

MEASURES OF SOLIDARITY WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

Preventative

Preventing is better than curing

No percieved risk does not mean that there is no risk

Stay in good physical health

Determine your level of risk

Trust your insticts

Talk to your family about the importance of security

Keep a low profile (clothing and conversations)

Accept appointments only with people you know

Dont talk in front of children about work issues

Give your address to trusted individuals

At home

Doors and reliable security

Do not place your names on the doors and mail-boxes

Illuminate the access to the house well

Enable an emergency exit

Allocate a room of refuge from which you can make a call in case of attack

Dont leave potential weapons visible

Dont open the door to strangers

Avoid sleeping with open windows

Change locks and door locks if keys are lost for any reason

Do not leave evidence of your absence

Identify fire stations, poilce, hospital and pharmacy in your neighbourghood

At work

Change the hours of arriving at and leaving work

Change itineraries

Take precautions on the way out

Try to position your desk away from the window

Close the curtains of the windows during the night

Organise a safety plan and an alert system

Do not give personal information by phone

Have information on your neighbours

When travelling

Travel with little luggage

Be sure to always have a hand free

Keep your luggage secure and with you at all times

Try not do drive alone by night

Stay alert at red lights

Always keep an eye on the rear view

Dont take any rides

Install an alarm

Means of transport

If you need a taxi call a secure one and carry a radio locator

If you go down a street and a vehicle stops to ask you questions, be wary and stay away, walk away in the opposite direction

Do not walk or drive alone by night

Always bring your cell phone so you can call for help in emergencies

If you notice that you are under survelliance or someone is following you in the street, find a place or a store with many people (if on foot) or a well-lit gas station if you are driving. From there make a call and ask for support

Vary your routes and routines

Measures in extreme situations

Address the fear, recognise the consequences, the risk, the bodily reactions, recognise that it disrupts behaviour, alters sense of reality, the fear can be a source of security as a defense mechanism to take precautions, or it can be a source of paralysis

Work with the fear, maintain an active stance, avoid impulsive behaviour, acknowledge the fear - this is what I feel and think

Socialise the fear – share it with peers

Decompose the fear, what does it contain and what to do to afront it

Do not devaluate the experience of fear, fear does not mean being a coward

In case of threats and attacks

If your are a victim of confrontation in your home, go to a place where you can feel safe

Keep a copy of the keys to your home, money and clothes in another place

Consider the possibilities of going to a shelter, church or public space

Memorise phone numbers that you can call for help

In case of detention

You have the right to remain silent, to speak with a lawyer, to telepone, to be brought before a judge

Debe estar preparado para ser fichado/a

Keep a firm conviction, that helps to make sense of what happens

Maintain control of the situation, keep the lucidity

Breathe deeply and try to relax your body

Look for company, the worst is to feel alone

Do not sign any document if you are unsure of what is written and what it implicates

Try to memorise the names of the police or military officer involved in the arrest, faces, routines, procedures used, weapons, ranges, etc.

Measures of national and international solidarity

Physical accompaniment in support of an action, persons or organisations

Collaboration between national and international NGOs when taking action

Letters or statements of support in the press and other media

Support actions to facilitate exit of the country through human rights organisations