Kore Global’s 16 days blog series

Part 3 - How social impact innovators can better address violence against women and girls: practical insights on ethics

In November 2021, Kore Global undertook a review for Grand Challenges Canada, to help them improve impact measurement for their portfolio of innovations that aim to tackle VAWG. We created a broad theory of change to identify change pathways related to prevention and response of VAWG, developed based on a review of existing ToCs from a range of other organisations. We developed guidance on how to measure VAWG related changes along each pathway, with a focus on quantitative measurement approaches. And we provided guidance on how to plan, conduct and oversee safe and ethical collection of data on VAWG. 

This blog is part 3 of a 3-part blog series on how social impact innovators can better address VAWG. In each blog, we will share practical insights for impact investors and social impact enterprises that have emerged from a review of evidence on how to address VAWG and measure progress safely and effectively. Part 3, on ethical measurement approaches, provides a practical checklist of considerations to ensure women, girls and researchers are safe when measuring change in each of the 4 impact pathways described in our first and second blogs.

Collecting any data related to VAWG is inherently sensitive and potentially life-threatening. Any data collection which asks survivors about their experiences of violence, including in order to gather prevalence data, risks retraumatizing women and girls. Even when a decision has been made not to intentionally collect data on experiences or prevalence of violence, it is important to keep in mind that any monitoring and evaluation related to VAWG can still be risky. Discussing topics related to gender equality can unearth deeply entrenched gender norms, potentially threatening power structures, and thus can elicit backlash. As a starting point, we developed a checklist of four key questions to guide practitioners and innovators to ensure a safe and ethical approach to VAWG-related M&E. 

QUESTION ONE: What is being measured and is there an intention to collect data on prevalence or experiences of VAWG?

Collection of data on experiences of VAWG is inherently risky. If data collectors do not have highly specialized skills and expertise, this type of data collection has significant potential to retraumatize survivors of violence and also put them at greater risk of future violence. Innovators should: 

• Refrain from collecting data on experiences of VAWG if teams do not have the necessary skill sets to do so ethically. 

• Hold in-depth reflections should there be a proposal to collect this data, which should be accompanied by a thorough risk mitigation strategy and a detailed plan that demonstrates that staff have the skills, expertise and resources to do this ethically and safely, including the ability to provide psychosocial first aid and to refer to appropriate support services.

• Consider other areas of change to measure, such as women’s agency and determine if secondary data sources can be drawn upon.

QUESTION TWO: Does the proposed team have the appropriate skills and knowledge?

Given the sensitivity of VAWG and the potential for backlash, monitoring and evaluation activities require data collectors with specialised skills. Innovators should: 

• Ensure that all members of the team have a strong understanding of VAWG, how to detect distress, psychosocial first aid and a clear commitment to gender equality and violence prevention. 

• If a disclosure is made, participants should be immediately referred to vetted medical, psychosocial, security and legal services. Ensure M&E teams have a list of services that have been developed based on recommendations from local service providers and women’s rights organizations. Referral pathways should be understood by and made available to M&E teams. If quality services are not available, data collection should not be conducted. 

• Consider how to bolster protocols and capacities related to confidentiality, safety and security, including the safety of researchers themselves. 

• Carefully consider gender, ethnicity and languages of team members to ensure they are representative of the participants. 

• Do not engage in planned M&E activities should it be deemed that M&E teams do not have the required capacity. 

QUESTION THREE: Could collecting data harm, retraumatize or put participants at risk? What strategies are being used to keep everyone involved in M&E activities safe?

Collecting data on violence and related areas may trigger participants to relive experiences and can threaten power structures which may result in backlash. Innovators should: 

• Ask whether data collection could harm or retraumatize participants. If the answer is yes or maybe, innovators should not engage in data collection. 

• Involve local women’s groups in reviewing the proposed methodology to ensure that it upholds the dignity of women and girls, does not put them at further risk and the information collected will be used to improve both prevention and response.

• Consider whether data collection methods are safe and necessary and develop a detailed risk mitigation strategy (e.g. use of female interviewers only). Ensure any data collection takes place in a safe place that does not draw attention or raise community suspicions (e.g. consider using women’s health centers or safe spaces where it is routine for groups of women to meet). 

• Consider how to frame the study. For instance, M&E activities for a VAWG programme could be presented to the community as a study on women’s health and wellbeing, the full details of the study would be explained to the respondent in detail when alone with the interviewer. 

• Recognise the opportunity costs for participants involved. Given that activities could take time away from engagement in livelihood activities and unpaid care work, and given the particular burden placed on women and girls, tools should not be time intensive. 

• Make necessary adaptations as the M&E activities progress to ensure the safety protocol is responsive to the needs of all of those involved in activities.

• As part of escalation protocols, identify a focal point on the team to communicate safety and security issues as they arise.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this blog series on VAWG impact pathways, measurement approaches and measurement ethics. We would love to hear from any innovators or impact investors about how you have used any of the insights or guidance provided!