plans and strategies as useful in organising and underpinning our security Knowledge Essential elements of a security strategy and plan Capacities needed to be built. Skills Participants practice making a security plan

Input/Activity: Basic security plan (50 minutes)

Step 1 Input. Now that we have analysed the threats we face in our work, we will make a simple security plan to correspond to one of our activities (ideally, the one we used as a basis for the threat analysis exercise), and present it to another participant. The objective of our activity and the threats associated with it are the basic starting point for planning. For each threat identified, it's useful to consider two corresponding things: 1. Our existing security practices and capacities: the well-being, attitudes, knowledge, skills and resources to which we have access which help to keep us safer from a particular threat. 2. The gaps in our existing practices, and our vulnerabilities: the well-being, attitudes, knowledge, skills and resources (or lack thereof) which make us more susceptible to a threat.

Step 2 Input. Security plans can be written or unwritten – it depends largely on the culture of the group or organisation. However, it's good to keep in mind that each plan should include as a minimum the following: the objective of the activity; the threats identified; prevention actions and resources; response/Emergency actions and resources; including: WHEN is it an emergency?; Communication and devices; well-being and self-care.

Using this as a guide, create a security plan for one activity you carry out in your work. Use the threats you identified as the basis for the tactics and tools you will use It doesn't all have to be new: Include your already existing strategies and capacities.

Step 3. Give participants 20 minutes to draft a plan, and then 15 minutes to present their plan to a fellow participant.

Step 4. Discussion: Pose the following questions to the group: How do you know the tactics you are using are the right ones? Where does the plan fall short? What are the things you can not yet protect yourself against? Are there any new skills, tools, or tactics you will need to learn in order to implement this plan?

Input / Discussion: Security Strategies (20 minutes)

We've practiced making a plan for a single human rights activity. But it's a good idea to have an overall strategy rather than to just plan for single events. If we have a strategy, then we can use it as a basis for drawing up plans as our work demands them, and according to our own rhythm and style of working. Introduce the ideas of acceptance, deterrence and protection strategies as ways of opening the socio-political space for your work:

acceptance: building support for our human rights work among the actors around us, including our 'opponents'. What are examples of ways you already build acceptance of your work?

deterrence: raising the political cost of attacks against us, so that our opponents decide not to carry them out. What are examples of ways you already deter attacks against you?

and protection or self-defence.: building our own strengths so that our opponents can't attack us so easily. What are ways you already act to protect yourself?

Deepening: New Skills, Tactics and Resources Required (20 minutes)

Draw a matrix like the one below on a flipchart, whiteboard etc and have participants reproduce it. Threats New Capacities Resources needed

Participants consider the threats they have identified, the new capacities they need to build, and in this respect, the resources they need in order to build them. 15 minutes.

Synthesis

Making security plans and agreements of some kind helps us to have at least some peace of mind when it comes to preparing for our activities.

Our plans should be living documents and correspond to our changing contexts.

The tools and tactics we use should correspond to our threats.

We constantly need to learn new tools and tactics as our context changes. This demands time and resources and, if possible, should be built into our strategic planning.

Front Line Defenders Workbook on Security https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/files/workbook_eng.pdf

Protection International Manual http://protectioninternational.org/publication/new-protection-manual-for-human-rights-defenders-3rd-edition/