This research examines why harmful practices continue to occur when information about systematic and conflict-related sexual violence (SCRSV) is gathered or used, despite the existence of recognised ethical standards. Based on interviews with practitioners from the media, humanitarian, justice and funding sectors, as well as a review of existing literature, it looks beyond individual mistakes to the wider pressures and assumptions that shape how this work is carried out.

The briefing note identifies three broad sets of drivers: structural drivers such as competition, donor pressures, politicisation, and weak coordination; operational drivers such as limited resources, lack of expertise, weak consent processes, and poor accountability; and normative drivers such as stigma, patriarchal attitudes, and discriminatory assumptions about survivors.

By examining these root causes, the note helps explain why harmful practices persist. It also offers practical recommendations to help institutions and practitioners strengthen safeguards and ensure that work involving survivors is conducted in a safe, ethical, and survivor-centred manner.