Participatory research stems from aspirations to redress imbalances of power within research, aiming to co-create knowledge with young people rather than for them. However, involving children, young people, survivors and communities in CSV research presents myriad of challenges and concerns for researchers and practitioners. One of the foremost concerns revolves around navigating the sensitive and ethical dilemmas associated with the participation of children and survivors. It’s imperative to tread carefully, acknowledging the sensitivity of the subject matter and ensuring that the rights and well-being of all involved parties are upheld. There is a growing recognition that participation, if not carefully approached, can be tokenistic, extractive, and in some cases, harmful, especially to CSV survivors. These concerns point to the need to recognize voice and agency while balancing participation and protection. In light of these pressing concerns, our forthcoming workshop is designed to shine a spotlight on the pivotal concept of survivor-cantered Child Sexual Violence research. We aim to engage in a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted challenges and apprehensions expressed by researchers and practitioners when it comes to effectively involving children, young individuals, and survivors in a truly participatory and pragmatic manner. This will include participatory facilitation techniques that will allow participants to learn by sharing experiences. Furthermore, we will provide practical and tangible examples of ethical and meaningful participation within the complex landscape of CSV research. The workshop draws inspiration from the preliminary findings of a Child Sexual Violence research capacity needs assessment conducted by SVRI in September 2023. Remarkably, more than half of the respondents identified this topic as their primary area of interest, demonstrating the urgency and significance of this workshop. This workshop is for practitioners, researchers, activists.

Facilitators: Joan Njagi and Nicolas Makharashvili, Sexual Violence Research Initiative

This workshop will cover: 1) Introduction an expectations 2) Concepts of gender and violence for measurement purposes a) Sex and gender b) Terminology related to violence against women c) Data sources (survey, administrative) 3) Good practices in ethical and safe survey research on violence against women a) Measurement design b) Researcher / interviewer training c) Privacy and confidentiality d) Support plans e) Safe technology and data security f) Research as an exchange of gifts 4) Understanding and using VAW data a) Strengths and limitations of the research methods b) Interpreting prevalence data c) Uses of VAW data. This workshop is intended to support VAW researchers and GBV practitioners with best practice guidelines for safe and ethical research practices. It will be beneficial both for researchers and those who will be funding, monitoring, managing or advocating for VAW research. The workshop will provide practical guidance for less experienced researchers; researchers who would like a refresher on best practices; and experienced researchers who are new to the field of measuring VAW.

Facilitators: Kristin Diemer, Melbourne School of Social Work at the University of Melbourne Australia; Cathy Vaughan, Nossal Institute for Global Health and Chair of Global Health at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne; Jessica Gardner, UNFPA Asia Pacific Region, Sujata Tuladhar, UNFPA Asia Pacific Region; Alexandra Robinson, UNFPA. 

Entrenched inequities exist and undermine progress in gender equality, human rights and the health and wellbeing of women and girls all around the world. Research on violence against women and girls (VAWG) also, oftentimes deepens these inequities, even as it seeks to address them. If we are to address persistent power imbalances in research addressing VAWG, decolonising research practice is imperative. Though the standard model, or best practice, for what ‘decolonising’ VAWG research looks like is still emerging, there are important considerations for better practice. Drawing from literature, guided by the perspectives of researchers and communities from the Global South, and informed by Indigenist research principles this workshop will explore the process of ‘decolonising’ VAWG research. The workshop will primarily focus on principles and practices developed to help guide Global North researchers in shifting the inequities often found in knowledge production. The workshop will begin with a brief overview of power, privilege and decolonisation in research. The facilitators will share with participants the process we have undertaken to arrive at these principles and practices for decolonising VAWG research. The process of decolonising research is often an uncomfortable journey of critical reflection, interrogating your own privilege, listening, and learning. Acknowledging this, the EQI and SVRI facilitators – two researchers from the Global North and one from/working in the Global South – will share their own research experiences to illustrate where our past and current research practices have perpetuated existing inequalities. The facilitators will also share examples where VAWG research projects have attempted to address (neo)colonial epistemic oppressions. The second half of this workshop will include interactive, small-group activities, where participants will apply principles of decolonising research to research project ‘case studies’. Participants will be invited to share with their group examples of their own research projects, and if they are comfortable, the groups will be guided through activities that uses the principles and framework to constructively critique their research project case studies, identifying where power imbalances are being perpetuated in and/or by the research study. Collectively, the groups will develop alternative approaches in line with the principles of decolonising research. This workshop is open to all VAWG researchers and practitioners. Designed to challenge the pervasive and entrenched inequalities in VAWG research practice, this workshop will focus on principles and practices primarily for High-Income Country (HIC) researchers who want to interrogate their own positions of power and privilege, and better understand the process of ‘decolonising’ knowledge production. While this workshop is targeted at researchers from the Global North, researchers from the Global South and Indigenous researchers are more than welcome to participate and contribute their experiences and perspectives to this workshop.

Facilitators: Sarah Homan and Loksee Leung, The Equality Institute; Ayesha Mago, Sexual Violence Research Initiative

This workshop is intended for people interested in understanding and/or using remote survey methods to ask questions about gender-based violence.

Facilitators: Sexual Violence Research Initiative, Innovations for Poverty Action, Y-RISE, and World Health Organization.

This workshop will cover: 1. Background on VACS 2. Orientation to the questionnaire. 3. Accessing VACS data 4. VACS survey weights 5. Multi-country analysis 6. Generating research questions. This workshop is intended for researchers who are interested in using a violence-focused household survey for secondary data analysis.

Facilitators: Laura Chiang, Stephanie Miedema, Francis Annor, Greta Massetti, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Theories are often considered as dry and academic exercises when addressing real world problems of high significance and prevalence – such as intimate partner violence. However, they can provide valuable insights into why a phenomenon such as intimate partner violence occurs and assist in the selection of key topics or variables of interest both in quantitative and qualitative study design and data analysis or in the planning and implementation of interventions.

This interactive workshop seeks to introduce participants to a wide range of theories addressing predictors of male-perpetrated intimate partner violence and guide participants how to use them in their own research. Short descriptions of all frequently used theories will be provided, key research questions or concepts will be matched with existing theories and participants will be supported in building their own theoretical framework based on their own keywords. Existing evidence for chosen theories will be evaluated for the respective research setting or group. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be equipped to evaluate use of theory in existing research and select theoretical frameworks for their own research.

Facilitators: Sarah Meyer and Heidi Stöckl, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

In today’s digital age, women and girls find both empowerment and nuanced challenges within the expansive online environment. This workshop intends to shine a light on the intricate dynamics at play. We aim to understand the depth of research about women’s digital empowerment, probe the subtle barriers hindering their complete digital involvement, and initiate a discourse on refining research techniques for such delicate dynamics. Our agenda kicks off with an introduction to the existing digital landscape for women, followed by in-depth presentations on their online empowerment and the understated impediments they face. A panel of experts will then deliberate on the methodologies best suited to explore these nuances, and participants will dive into breakout sessions, discussing everything from opportunities to research strategies. We’ll wrap up by collectively brainstorming potential research projects, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding to shape an equitable digital future for women. This workshop, rooted in data and collaboration, is ideal for digital researchers, gender scholars, policymakers, and anyone keen to grasp the multifaceted nature of women’s online experiences. By the end, attendees can anticipate a clearer understanding of the online empowerment-vulnerability spectrum and an ignited passion to dive deeper into the less-explored aspects of women’s digital journey.

Facilitators: Aisha Bain, Common Fire Consulting and WeCiE; Caroline Masboungi, UNICEF; Nadia Jeffrie, GSMA; Ilana Seff, Washington University in St. Louis; Kat Lo, Researcher and Consultant.

The GBV PEF is a tool that was launched in 2020 to help organisations measure GBV prevention outcomes. This workshop aims to equip participants with an understanding of what is needed to ensure programs are analyzed, designed and monitored in a manner that will support the measurement of outcome level results. Participants will be introduced to several outcome-oriented methods, including the use of results-journals, most significant change methodologies, and using contextualized theories of change in support of the risk equation. The workshop will also help organizations think about where they are at now (as individuals or as an organization) to support change that is needed within their programs/organization/system to adopt more outcome-oriented ways of working so that GBV prevention outcomes can be measured and achieved. This workshop is for GBV and non-GBV Specialists/Practitioners and M&E specialists implementing programming with the aim to prevent or reduce GBV in emergencies.

Facilitators: Jessica Lenz, InterAction; Neil Dillon, Data Conscious

More information forthcoming.

Facilitators: What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls II Consortium