Events Standard Formats

A Review of the Events Standard Formats

The HURIDOCS Events Standard Formats make up an integrated, standardized, adaptable tool that covers the various aspects of documenting human rights events. There are four kinds of formats:

• Entity Formats – for representing the entities (Event and Person).
• Role Formats – for representing the various roles which Persons can have
• Link Formats – for representing the relationships or links among entities
  
• Attachment Formats – for representing additional information
  

Entity formats

• Event Format – for recording information on events.
• Person Format – for recording information on persons (individuals or groups).
  

Role formats

• Victim Format – for recording information on victims (persons who were the objects of acts that caused or led to violations.
• Perpetrator Format – for recording information on perpetrators (persons who committed the acts).
  
•  Source Format – for recording information on sources (persons who provided information).
• Intervening Party Format – for recording information on intervening parties (persons who intervened in an event).
  

Link Formats

• Act Format – for recording information on acts committed against victims.
• Involvement Format – for recording information on the involvement of perpetrators in specific acts. Information Format – for recording information on the information provided by sources.
  
• Intervention Format – for recording information on acts of intervention.
  
• Chain of Events Format – for recording information on the relationships between events.
• Biographic Data Format – for recording information on relationships among and updates about Persons.
  

Attachment Formats

• Additional Details Format – for recording additional information on specific types of acts.
• Biographic Data Format - for recording information on relationships among and updates about Persons.
  

Note that the Biographic Data Format is both a link format and an attachment format. It can be used to link the record of a person to that of another, if a relationship, such as marriage, exists. Or it can be an attachment format, to be attached to a Person record, to provide additional information such as about the educational background of an individual.

A basic characteristic of the events documentation system developed by HURIDOCS is that persons are related to events. The main formats are the entity formats: the Person format and the Event format. For more details about the various formats and the recording of events, please consult the HURIDOCS Events Standard Formats: A tool for documenting human rights violations.