7.2.8. Privacy

By nature of their exploitation, survivors have a history of having their personal boundaries violated. Therefore, it is important to ensure they have privacy within shelter and support environments.

• Private meetings: Survivors should have the ability to speak to staff in a private location where they will not be overheard, and the content of these meetings should be kept confidential (unless the survivor is a risk to themselves or others).
• Confidentiality: Survivor identities should never be publicly disclosed by the agency. Information about survivors should remain strictly confidential, unless informed consent is given and a risk assessment has been conducted.
• Private spaces: Agencies should allow survivors to have private spaces within shelter accommodation wherever possible.

Privacy also means that survivors have a right to disclose their story if and when they want to and should not be forced to discuss anything before they are ready. Survivors’ privacy relates not only to their physical bodies and environment, but also to their inner lives, stories, and feelings.

Note: The only time when privacy and confidentiality rules should be breached is when there is a serious concern that the survivor is a danger to themselves or others. In such cases, privacy and confidentiality should only be set aside to the extent necessary to address the concern, and disclosures kept as limited as possible.