Guide for Independent Accountability Mechanisms on Measures to Address the Risk of Reprisals in Complaint Management: A Practical Toolkit

In recent years, reprisals against those who bring complaints to independent accountability mechanisms, family members and others associated with them, have increased. Reprisals have also affected other related stakeholders, including consultants, interpreters, expert witnesses, and members of civil society organizations that have facilitated the IAM processes. These acts can not only devastate the lives of the individuals concerned and their families, but also have serious and deterrent consequences for the willingness and capacity of project-affected individuals and communities to use, and provide information to, the IAMs in the future. As such, reprisals have been identified by the IAMs themselves as a major challenge to their effective functioning.