👩‍🦽Enhance Accessibility of Reporting Platforms

Complaint form are typically hosted on the organisation, oversight body and other complaint mechanism’s reporting plaftorm or website. Improvements can be made to the reporting platforms to increase its accessibility and meet the intersecting needs of diverse populations.

🪪 Identification Requirements

State-linked institutions tend to require legal documents in order to make complaints. However, this is not necessary to make, verify or validate a complaint. State-linked organisations and statutory bodies should remove all mandatory requirements to provide Identification Card number, passport number or other serial number, as these numbers contain a lot of personal information.

Best Practices: SUHAKAM (Confidentiality & Identification Information)

SUHAKAM’s complaint mechanism allows users to request for their personal information to be kept private. Additionally, SUHAKAM’s website allows for other forms of identity documents besides IC and passport, including UNHCR cards, and even “other” forms of identification that may not be listed.

Best Practices

• Allowing users to request privacy is a good confidentiality practice

• Accepting multiple forms of identification allows anyone to lodge a complaint about a human rights violation, regardless of documentation or immigration status.

🧑🏽‍🦽Disability Access Measures

When building the reporting platform, ensure that the website is accessible to people with disabilities.

Here are some points to consider:

• Provide alternative text for any non-text elements. This will allow people who use screen readers to access key information on the site.

• Ensure full keyboard functionality. This allows users to navigate the page without a mouse.

Further reading: Making Your Website More Accessible for People with Physical Disabilities

Best Practices: SUHAKAM Sabah (Accessibility)

SUHAKAM Sabah maintains a WhatsApp communication channel which allows the public to submit anonymous complaints, or to submit complaints via voice note.

Key Takeaways

• WhatsApp audio notes are helpful for several groups of people: people with disabilities, people who cannot read or write, undocumented people, and people who have trouble expressing themselves in writing.

• Allowing complaints by WhatsApp also allows users some measure of privacy, as names and identification documents are not required for this channel.

SUHAKAM Sabah not only made it possible for marginalised people to report human rights violations, but also demonstrated a high level of attunement to the needs of the community that they serve.

Source: KASIH, Bentarakata

💭 Language Accessibility Measures

• Multiple Languages: Ensure that the reporting platform is available in the most commonly used languages in Malaysia. In addition to Bahasa Malaysia and English, your website should also be available in Mandarin Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Tamil, Punjabi, and Arabic, among others.

• Simple Writing: Clear and simple writing benefits everyone, including highly educated people with specialised knowledge of a particular subject.

• Guidelines: Interview respondents for this toolkit also suggested that reporting platforms include guidelines on lodging a complaint or even a sample complaint. This can help LGBTQIA+ people with limited knowledge of human rights and reporting mechanisms with accessing justice.

• Alternative Reporting Formats: Organisations should also take into account the needs of the communities they serve when designing or implementing reporting platforms. Although websites are cheaper and easier to build and maintain, their accessibility is limited to people who are literate and comfortable with expressing themselves verbally. Certain communities may benefit from less restrictive reporting mediums such as a physical “drop-in” office space, or a messaging service.

Best Practices: UNHCR Malaysia (Site Navigation and Language Accessibility)

UNHCR Malaysia’s website for refugees is easy to locate through the domain name refugeemalaysia.org, increasing the chances that the community they serve will be able to find the information they need. The landing site is easy to navigate. Furthermore, all their support pages and notices are translated into key languages to reach the demographics they serve.

Key information is also summarised into graphics for easier dissemination through other mediums such as WhatsApp and social media platforms, to ensure a wider reach. The information is provided in video and audio formats as well.

UNCHR's website provides multiple language options