Respect for Confidentiality and Responsible Messaging during the COVID-19 Pandemic – Syrian Arab Republic

Confidentiality constitutes one of the core principles of humanitarian action and entails guaranteeing the privacy and security of individuals, their families and wider communities.1 Humanitarian actors must thus keep confidentiality in paramount consideration at all times, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and with regards to any people in the community who have COVID-19.

Breach of confidentiality or careless handling of information can have serious consequences for persons of concern as well as other partners, colleagues and even the humanitarian response as a whole. To maintain confidentiality and trust, humanitarian actors must always assess potential risk factors and seek informed consent for the gathering and use of personal information.

Breaches of the confidentiality, integrity or authenticity of information related to people of concern, including through rumours or hearsay, could cause harmful consequences, including stigma from the community, physical danger, and unnecessary additional stress. Such breaches may also threaten the safety of humanitarian workers and the continued provision of humanitarian services.

Stigma can undermine social cohesion and prompt possible social isolation of groups, which might contribute to a situation where the virus is more, not less, likely to spread. This can result in more severe health problems and difficulties controlling a disease outbreak. Stigma can drive people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination, prevent people from seeking health care immediately, or discourage them from adopting healthy behaviours. 3 It is important that humanitarian actors set a model for the community in refusing to contribute to potentially harmful and unnecessary spread of sensitive personal information. It should be noted that the recommended contract tracing and isolation protocols for any potentially exposed individuals is compatible with the maintenance of confidentiality. Respecting confidentiality will not compromise the safety or health of the community; to the contrary, it will aid in encouraging individuals affected to comply with recommendations of health experts and reduce further spread of the disease.