Book

Eyes on the ground : realizing the potential of civilian-led monitoring in armed conflict

Miriam Puttick

London : Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights ; Minority Rights Group International, July 2017

47 p. ; 30 cm

978-1-907919-89-3

English

This report is about harnessing developments already in motion internationally to produce better information about human rights and international humanitarian law violations in situations affected by conflict. Its main contention is that local civil society actors can be enabled, with the help of modern technology, to become central actors in the processes of monitoring, documentation and reporting. Empowering local activists has not only practical value, in that these activists often have the closest access to victims of violations, but normative value as well, because it makes monitoring more inclusive, participatory, and meaningful to local populations. The basis of this report is the experience of the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights and Minority Rights Group International in implementing a system of civilian-led monitoring in Iraq between 2014 and 2017, which is presented as a case study to illustrate one possible application of the approach put forward throughout the report.

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