Ethical and methodological issues in conducting research on gender-based violence in Southern Africa
- PMID: 11424273
- DOI: 10.1016/s0968-8080(00)90010-7
Ethical and methodological issues in conducting research on gender-based violence in Southern Africa
Abstract
International experience of carrying out research on violence against women among women who may have experienced such violence and among men who may have been violent has raised a number of ethical issues, which appear in sharp focus. This paper is based on the collective experiences derived from involvement in three large gender-based violence surveys in South Africa and one in Zimbabwe. These are broadly concerned with the safety of researchers and research subjects from violence arising because of the research project, risks of traumatisation of both respondents and researchers as violent experiences are recounted; impact of work on violence as an issue in researchers' own relationships; risks of under-reporting the extent of violence experienced or perpetrated; and the need for research efforts to be followed up in ways beneficial to women experiencing violence, such as increased support, public information, and law and policy changes. This paper discusses how these issues have pertained and been addressed in research on gender-based violence in Southern Africa and consider lessons for this and other sensitive areas of reproductive and sexual health research.
Similar articles
-
Ethical and safety considerations when obtaining information from or about battered women for research purposes.J Interpers Violence. 2004 May;19(5):603-18. doi: 10.1177/0886260504263249. J Interpers Violence. 2004. PMID: 15104864
-
Ethical considerations for disability-inclusive gender-based violence research: Reflections from a South African qualitative case study.Glob Public Health. 2019 May;14(5):737-749. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2018.1542015. Epub 2018 Nov 4. Glob Public Health. 2019. PMID: 30392442
-
Violence, rape, and sexual coercion: everyday love in a South African township.Gend Dev. 1997 Jun;5(2):41-6. doi: 10.1080/741922353. Gend Dev. 1997. PMID: 12292615
-
[Violence and health: theoretical, methodological, and ethical contributions from studies on violence against women].Cad Saude Publica. 2009;25 Suppl 2:S205-16. doi: 10.1590/s0102-311x2009001400003. Cad Saude Publica. 2009. PMID: 19684928 Review. Portuguese.
-
Sexual violence against women: the scope of the problem.Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2013 Feb;27(1):3-13. doi: 10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2012.08.002. Epub 2012 Aug 29. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2013. PMID: 22940107 Review.
Cited by
-
"Children Are Like Vuvuzelas Always Ready to Blow": Exploring How to Engage Young Children in Violence Research.J Interpers Violence. 2024 Aug;39(15-16):3325-3351. doi: 10.1177/08862605241230088. Epub 2024 Feb 9. J Interpers Violence. 2024. PMID: 38334107 Free PMC article.
-
Conducting Ethical Field Research on Rape in West African Settings: Case Study of 2018 Liberian Field Survey.Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Nov 28;11(23):3053. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11233053. Healthcare (Basel). 2023. PMID: 38063621 Free PMC article.
-
Associations between depressive symptoms, socio-economic factors, traumatic exposure and recent intimate partner violence experiences among women in Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study.BMC Womens Health. 2022 Jun 22;22(1):248. doi: 10.1186/s12905-022-01796-w. BMC Womens Health. 2022. PMID: 35733181 Free PMC article.
-
Factors associated with female students' past year experience of sexual violence in South African public higher education settings: A cross-sectional study.PLoS One. 2021 Dec 2;16(12):e0260886. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260886. eCollection 2021. PLoS One. 2021. PMID: 34855900 Free PMC article.
-
Using Participatory and Creative Methods to Research Gender-Based Violence in the Global South and With Indigenous Communities: Findings From a Scoping Review.Trauma Violence Abuse. 2022 Apr;23(2):342-355. doi: 10.1177/1524838020925775. Epub 2020 May 22. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2022. PMID: 32441215 Free PMC article. Review.