Objective, Undeniable Evidence

The Human Rights Data analysis Group (HRDAG) develops database software, data collection strategies, and statistical techniques to measure human rights atrocities. This technology and analysis is used by truth commissions, international criminal tribunals, and non-governmental human rights organizations around the world.

Searching for Patterns in Chaos

An important problem in the fight against the abuse of human rights lies in the area of information management and analysis. The problem is not in the amount of information that comes out of the field. To the contrary, there are mountains of raw information.

The real problem lies in how this information is treated and managed. Arguments about the range and type of crimes, usually based on anecdotes and counter-anecdotes, can be manipulated and even discredited with inappropriate comparisons and invalid logic. Critics can discount inaccurate statistics and damage the credibility of human rights claims.

The use of information management techniques and advanced statistical analysis can help to solve this problem by providing massive, objective, and undeniable evidence of human rights violations, and giving voice to the thousands of victims and witnesses who have come forward to tell their stories.

Effective human rights research and advocacy requires statistics that are based on rigorous computing methods. The statistics, generated through the application of these methods, can be defended scientifically and have served as a powerful tool in drawing attention to injustice. These techniques are the driving force in the identification of the trends and patterns that are the real evidence of crimes of policy.

Building Evidence-based Arguments

HRDAG’s information technology solutions and statistical techniques help human rights advocates build. Directed by Dr. Patrick Ball, HRDAG includes programmers, statisticians, project managers and data processing experts. HRDAG offers the following services:

• Methodology — HRDAG works with partner organizations to design sound methodologies to analyze the data which has been collected.
   
• Technology — HRDAG works with human rights data projects to identify technical needs - designing custom tools when necessary - in areas including networking, backups and security, building database and classification systems, and with advanced statistical analysis of human rights data. HRDAG deploys technical tools in the field and provides training and on-going support to staff.
   
• Training — HRDAG offers training in data collection, management and processing phases in areas such as statement taking, coding, data entry, inter-rater reliability, database maintenance, and building local capacity.
   
• Statistical Analysis — HRDAG offers unique applications of top-level statistical methods to human rights questions. Using statistical evidence, HRDAG can help partner organizations identify — and answer — pivotal questions revealed in the data they have collected.

Offering Complete Technical Solutions

HRDAG also offers a range of generalized and custom technical solutions and services. All software offered by HRDAG is available free of charge:

• Analyzer. An integrated data processing environment used to collect and encode human rights information, and to enable reconciliation of records across multiple sources for use in statistical analysis.
   
• Custom Solutions. Applications designed specifically to help manage and integrate partner data collected prior to building a statistical database.
   
• On-site Expertise. HRDAG field consultants can work at the partner's office to provide ongoing information management and scientific assistance.
   
• Martus Client Software. A software application used in the field for secure filing and storing of reports on human rights abuse. Designed by Benetech, Martus is an extremely effective tool for use during the data collection and storage phase.

For complete information about how HRDAG works, visit the HRDAG website.

Originally based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), HRDAG is now a project of Benetech. HRDAG has provided technical assistance to:

• Official truth commissions in Haiti, South Africa, Guatemala, Perú, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Leste.
• International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
• Non-governmental human rights groups in Cambodia, Guatemala, and Sri Lanka.
• United Nations missions in Timor-Leste and Guatemala.

Learn more about HRDAG:

• Testimonials from human rights groups around the world
• Strategic partners who support our work
• HRDAG website

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