Safety Basics

Safety Contacts

The Safety Hub has been formed to provide you an accessible channel through which you can access support in case of an incident during an event or on your return home. The Hub is a joint initiative of organisations and specialists with experience managing different types of risk. For questions or support, please reach out to the Safety Hub coordinator via email, Signal or WhatsApp:

safetyhub@proton.me | +49 177 684 4896

Before the event

First Contact: Your delegation organiser

Second Contact: Safety Hub coordinator

During the event

First Contact: Your delegation organiser
or in case of emergency: Safety Hub coordinator

Second Contact: Safety Hub coordinator

After the event

First Contact: Safety Hub coordinator and delegation organiser

Second Contact: Support network in your home country

Additional Safety Contacts:

Legal Protection: In case of need, Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef) supports climate defenders by providing access to legal advice or representation.

Your Embassy: In case of a serious incident (such as arrest), your embassy can provide you with a representative, a translator, and a lawyer. However, if your activism in your home country has drawn negative attention from the authorities in the past, it may be safer for you to seek independent legal support. If you are unsure, the Safety Hub can help you assess what is best in your case.

Understanding Risk

We can think about risks that face YCAs and the Youth Climate Movement as belonging to one or more of the following key categories:

Physical

e.g. experiencing aggression from authorities at a demonstration or action

Legal

e.g. being charged with sedition or defamation in relation to social media posts

Digital

e.g. someone infiltrating our chat groups or a border guard gaining access to sensitive plans during a device search at the airport

Wellbeing

e.g. the impact of climate anxiety or eco-grief on our mental health

Narrative

e.g. smear campaigns about YCM in the media impacting our reputation

Many risks also cross-over multiple categories, for example, the impact on our wellbeing after experiencing a harsh crackdown at a demonstration.

Risks may be targeted - meaning that they are carried out by or for people opposed to our activism with the aim of hindering or stopping our work entirely.

Risks may also be circumstantial - these can be risks arising from common criminality, such as pickpocketing, or arising from the environment, for example a fire breaking out.

It is important to consider both targeted and circumstantial risks as each can result in significant negative impacts for ourselves and our work.

Exercises

By thinking in advance about the steps we can take to reduce the likelihood of an incident occurring and how we will respond if something does happen, we can be prepared and avoid having to make important decisions under stressful circumstances.

For example, you can reduce the likelihood of losing you passport by keeping it in a safe place. If you do lose your passport, knowing that you have a photocopy and having the details of your nearest embassy where you can get a replacement will help you minimise the impact and respond.

In this guide you will find exercises to help you think through risk scenarios and plan your responses. The best way to complete these exercises is with a friend - ideally someone who will attend the event with you, or who understands the context of the event and what you will be doing there. Through the exercises you will: complete a personal risk assessment, create a check-in plan, prepare for crossing borders and checkpoints, plan for attending actions and develop an incident response strategy.

Incident Response

Before you travel, make sure to consider possible incidents that might occur and think in advance about how you might respond and what actions your support network can take to help you. This can help you and those around you to prepare mentally (if an incident occurs you are more likely to respond in a way that minimises impact) and logistically (e.g.  influencing the arrangements you make to travel to and from the event venue).

For any incident response, it is essential that you have exchanged contact numbers with key individuals in your support network in advance.

You should have:

  • at least one contact for emergency response support (see Hub contact list)

  • at least one contact from your delegation organiser

You should provide:

  • your delegation organiser with at least one emergency contact for you (e.g. a family member or partner)

  • your emergency contact (e.g. your family) with the contact of your delegation organiser or at least one fellow participant at the event you are attending

Exercise - Develop an Incident Response Plan

Based on both your risk assessment and scenarios that you are worried about, discuss with your event buddy potential incident scenarios. Ask yourself/each other:

If an incident takes place, how will I respond?

  • What steps will I/we need to take immediately?

  • Who will I call first? Do I have the relevant numbers?

  • Who else might I need to inform for their safety?

  • Who can I call to make me feel better after it has happened?

  • What steps will I/we need to take after the immediate issue is resolved?

The types of incidents you might wish to consider:

  • Losing your passport/identification

  • Being taken aside for questioning by border officials

  • Being harassed in the street because of your identity

  • Making a statement to the media that is misinterpreted and regretful

  • Getting trapped in a crowd at a demonstration

Check also the Key Risk Factors boxes at the end of each section of this guide.

For each scenario, in addition to thinking about how to respond, think about what you might do in advance to prevent this from happening (if possible).

Identity & Discrimination

Misogyny, racism and homophobia are commonplace in many countries and frequently result in discrimination, harassment and increased risk for women, people of colour, people who are queer, trans or gender non-conforming, and people perceived as of lower socio-economic status. This includes risk of discrimination by officials at border control or checkpoints.

Before you depart, learn about social norms that may make the risk of identity-based discrimination more likely and consider if there are any steps you can take to minimise that risk.

Safety Tips for Women, BIPoC and LGBTQIA+ Participants

  • Where possible travel in a pair or small group of mixed genders.

  • Invest in personal safety even if it is more expensive. (For example, a taxi is more expensive than a bus, but is a safer option in most cases. The safest seat in a taxi is directly behind the driver.)

  • If you can’t avoid travelling alone, ensure you plan check-ins with a buddy who can mobilise support if you run into trouble or become uncontactable.

  • If travelling over land in a place that is unfamiliar to you, be sure to travel during daylight hours and consider whether you are likely to encounter checkpoints.

  • To the extent that you feel comfortable, it is advisable to wear clothing that will not attract unwanted attention.

  • Be prepared for questions about your identity and consider what may be risky to disclose. You may wish to have a cover story to avoid revealing aspects that increase your risk. For example, you could prepare a photo in your wallet of your “husband” or “wife” to avoid scrutiny about your sexuality, or consider wearing a fake wedding ring to appear married.

BIPoC

Racism is common in many places, and may be especially true in locations where the presence of tourists and foreigners is less usual. Racism is also often prevalent among police and security personnel and may result in increased security checks associated with racial profiling. It is advisable to plan in plenty of time to ensure you don’t become delayed or miss a connection.

LGBTQIA+

If the event is taking place in a location where homophobic and transphobic discrimination is prevalent, or where same-sex relationships and/or gender non-conformity are criminalised, consider taking extra precautions:

Before travelling, review the content of your phone, tablet or laptop for photos, apps or messages that may reveal sensitive information about you if your device is searched. Back up data you wish to keep to the cloud or to a device you can leave at home, and then delete it from your main device.

If your same-sex partner has a gendered name, save them under a different name in your phone to be able to communicate safely with them without drawing unwanted attention.

If possible, have documentation that reflects on your current appearance. When booking travel or completing forms, select the gender that appears on your government ID.

At border control, you could face difficulties if you present as a gender different to what is stated in your passport. Be aware that this could materialise as additional screening and questioning and, in some contexts, body searches or detention. Pat-downs by airport security are based on the gender you present, not your ID. Wearing a prosthetic or binder can lead to further questioning.

If you are undergoing hormone therapy (and especially if you are carrying needles) it is advised to have a doctor’s note that could provide a cover story. Always carry a prescription together with your medication.