This week, Julia Tétrault-Provencher, Legal Advisor at SGBV MJT Global Rights Compliance, and Kateryna Bakai, Legal Advisor at GRC, presented the Pilot Toolkit on Trauma-Informed Interviewing for Ukrainian legal professionals. The Pilot Toolkit is aimed at supporting Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators working on international crimes.
Julia Tétrault-Provencher presented the Toolkit at an internal Ukrainian Bar Association webinar of the Committee on Military Law, Military Justice and the Protection of Veterans’ Rights, which is held regularly for Ukrainian legal professionals. Developed in response to practitioners’ expressed needs, this Toolkit consolidates international best practices on trauma-informed approaches and tailors them to the Ukrainian legal system and the realities of investigating international crimes.
Julia Tétrault-Provencher highlighted the purpose of the Toolkit is to provide tangible guidance for Ukrainian professionals, its methodology, and the main practice-oriented resources it provides. The document includes practical tips from experienced prosecutors and investigators, as well as the Victims and Witnesses Coordination Center to integrate a trauma-informed approach throughout the interview process, examples of trauma-informed questions and guidance on appropriate responses to common psychological and physical reactions that may arise during interviews.
Grounded in the “Do No Harm” principle, the Toolkit promotes interview practices that prioritise the well-being of victims/survivors and practitioners, and minimise the risks of (re)traumatisation, while enabling investigators and prosecutors to gather complete and coherent accounts necessary for effective criminal proceedings before Ukrainian courts.
“This Toolkit is designed as a pilot initiative. It is a living document that will be reviewed and refined following its use in practice to ensure it remains responsive to practitioners’ needs.” – Julia Tétrault-Provencher.
We are grateful for the invitation from Kateryna Anischenko, Chair of the Committee on Military Law, Military Justice and the Protection of Veterans’ Rights at the Асоціація правників України / Ukrainian Bar Association.
Read more about the Toolkit here.