Rozan, through its Zeest program, has been instrumental in initiating a dialogue and formalizing a code of conduct for service delivery organizations for dealing with survivors of violence. In a process that lasted 18 months and involved a number of NGOs and government crisis centers as well as feedback from survivors, a code of conduct titled “Guidelines for the Protection of Dignity and Rights of Survivors of violence” for service delivery organizations and professionals for dealing with survivors of violence was formalized and formally launched in a seminar in December 2004.
The Government of Pakistan (GoP), through the Ministry of Women Development, has supported this document and contracted Rozan to conduct sensitization and orientation workshops with government run crisis centers and shelters for women.
The Guidelines for the Protection of Dignity and Rights of Survivors of Violence is a document that gives a basic introduction on the need for a code of conduct for working with survivors of violence and a brief history of the process through which the code was developed and a list of the organizations involved. It separately lists the basic principles and guidelines for working with survivors. It also clarifies basic terms such dignity, protection, survivor, and vulnerability.
The document acknowledges the fact that, organizations/service providers working with survivors at times face ethical dilemmas where the course of action may not be clear for them due to the nature of the issues involved. It lists a number of case histories that clarify the concept of ethical dilemmas. However, the documents stresses that there are certain 'basic principles' that guides us in our work and in dealing with such dilemmas.
The basic principles are:
• Protection of dignity and respect for survivors
• Beneficence and non-malfeasance
• Right to services without discrimination
• Quality of service
• Participation of survivors in all decisions
The 'guidelines' are based on these principles and are further categorized into three areas aimed at (a) service providers, (b) organizations, and (c) survivors.
The guidelines for survivors list the basic rights of survivors such as confidentiality, access to information by survivors, informed consent and decision-making, and the right to a safe, secure, and comfortable atmosphere where their case is handled.
The guidelines for service providers include training of staff and quality of service, clarity on their role, and systems for safety, referral and urgent dealing of crisis cases .The guidelines for organizations also focus on systems of staff safety, training, and referral, and how not to use survivors for their own publicity through the media.
The basic guidelines have also been highlighted through two posters: one for organizations/service providers who are working with survivors and another for the survivors themselves.
ZEEST 
