Analyzing Risk

What risks do you face in your work?

One of the best ways to identify threats and your personal vulnerabilities is to conduct a risk analysis.

A risk analysis does not have to be a long, drawn-out process. A rapid-style risk analysis can be completed relatively quickly to identify threats that you could be vulnerable to due to your individual profile and/or the activities that you will be conducting. Below is a template for a rapid risk analysis that you can do on your own or with your colleagues.

Rapid Risk Analysis
Relevant context information: What do you need to know about the environment? The best resources are local contacts or partners, but you can also use websites such as U.S. State Department Travel website if you'll be traveling to a new area.	Questions to consider: Are there upcoming elections in the area, i.e. could demonstrations or marches be planned? What are common crimes (pick-pocketing, sexual harassment)? How is the rule of law and law enforcement capability? Are medical facilities widely available? What are the road conditions? Is the area prone to natural disasters? Is there any political repression? What are the laws regarding LGBTQ+ rights? Can you rely on local media or social media for news? Is misinformation common?
Are there any specific risks due to your individual profile?	What makes you vulnerable to any of the contextual threats that you just identified? An example could be that you are at higher risk of sexual harassment due to the high rates in country and being a female traveler.
Are there any specific risks related to the activities you'll be conducting or your organisation's image/reputation?	Does the nature of your work or the organization that you work for put you at additional risk? An example could be that you are at a higher risk of surveillance due to the fact that you are an LGBTQ+ activist in a country where it is criminalized.
What specific security measures can you put in place?	Based on the risks that you identified, what measures can you put in place to mitigate the risk? Some examples could be: No walking alone. Be back at the hotel at 22:00. No use of public transportation. Use of code names.