This Guide provides further detail as to implementing the mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) standards from the Murad Code

The Murad Code captures the minimum mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) standards that anyone who engages with survivors to gather or use information about systematic or conflict-related sexual sexual violence (SCRSV) must be ready to meet. This means knowing what supports exist, verifying that the supports are safe, accessible and suitable for the survivors concerned, and ensuring supports can be activated before, during and after any engagement.

Upholding these standards protects survivors' wellbeing, enables informed consent, builds trust and safeguards the integrity of the information itself. Proceeding without adequate support risks harm to survivors, to the teams working with them and to the credibility of the work.

Meeting this threshold does not necessarily require large budgets or complex systems. In many contexts, a single suitable peer or community support option can suffice, provided it is safe, confidential and appropriate for the individuals concerned. What it does require is coordination, survivor-centred planning and a willingness to pause engagement until MHPSS readiness is in place.

This guidance translates those minimum standards into concrete, practical actions that are applicable across settings and resource levels to help information-gatherers and users ensure MHPSS readiness before they proceed. It covers mapping and vetting, creative alternatives for constrained settings, discussing referrals with survivors, and managing vicarious trauma among information-gatherers and users.