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The Pixel Project is pleased to present a guest “16 For 16” article from the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI). SVRI is one of the largest global networks for advancing research on violence against women, violence against children, and other forms of gender-based violence.

We are all aware of the scale and universality of violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC). Globally 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, and an estimated 137 women are killed by a family member daily. The profound impact of VAW and VAC on the health and well-being of survivors, on our families and communities can endure across generations. 

The status of women and the situation of violence faced by women and children is especially acute in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), in conflict situations and among populations facing intersectional forms of discrimination. The substantial economic and development costs of VAW and VAC further widen the gender inequality divide within and across countries and global regions. 

To bring stability, development and equality to countries, we must address this complex and brutal social problem – but how? As the well-known phrase goes, we cannot fix what we don’t understand. To create change we need to find out what works and what does not work (for whom, how and why), and we need to turn that knowledge into practical, scalable solutions.

Investments in research so far have helped us to understand drivers of VAW and VAC and have produced a handful of interventions and programmatic components that work to reduce violence. But no intervention has reduced violence to zero anywhere in the world, indicating that more needs to be done to improve the solutions and interventions. We know that more research is needed to test existing interventions in diverse settings to ensure that they are replicable and scalable with impactful results in preventing and decreasing VAW and VAC while being relevant to the contexts in which they are implemented. 

Another challenge is the persistent inequity that besets the VAW and VAC research fields. The capacity and resources for VAW and VAC research remain concentrated in high income countries (HICs) and when research is done in LMICs, it is often led by HIC researchers who also have control over the agenda, research question setting and budget, perpetuating historic colonial legacies and knowledge hierarchies.  

To build powerful evidence that will be used effectively, we need to focus not only on continuing to support and disseminate impactful research but also how to do this in ways that strengthen, support and provide leverage to the field. We need to be stronger, better and kinder so that longer term structural change is possible and sustainable. 

Here are some suggestions on how we can achieve that goal.

Written by Ayesha Mago, Global Advocacy Director of the SVRI and Elizabeth Dartnall, Executive Director of the SVRI, with support from the SVRI team.

Idea #1: Fund research on VAW and VAC

The science of responding to, understanding and preventing VAW and VAC is still relatively young and there is much we still need to learn. For example, few interventions have been sustainably taken to scale to fundamentally transform social norms, promote gender equitable societies, and reduce violence. Knowledge is still limited on the long-term effects of these interventions and what specific mechanisms are driving the changes observed so far.  We know very little about how to effectively integrate violence prevention and response efforts into health, education and development programmes. We also don’t really know what to say to governments when they ask how they can integrate prevention efforts into their national budgets and programmes. Therefore, we must fund research and innovation because without them, we cannot create contextually relevant, evidence-based solutions to reduce violence against women and children and we cannot be sure that our precious public funds are spent on efficacious, non-harmful and cost-effective programmes.

 

Idea #2: Fund research or programming that builds on what we know

Even though we are a young field, research conducted over the last few decades has greatly advanced our understanding of the prevalence, causes and consequences of violence against women. The UK government-funded What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls programme has identified key drivers of the violence that men use against their partners as well as 10 core elements of the design and implementation of programmes that are essential to their success.  For instance,  we know that we need to work with both men and women to mitigate backlash within communities and that interventions that work with couples can have a sustained impact on the reduction of violence well beyond the end of a programme. A study in Rwanda found that a couples programme resulted in the reduction of family violence, including intimate partner violence six years on. We must use the scarce resources available to fund research and programming that builds on what we already know and generate evidence on how solutions, tools and methodologies can be effectively utilised by the field.

 

Idea #3:  Support rigorous and ethical research design

Ensure ethical considerations guide all stages of the research process, from study design and data collection to analysis, dissemination and translation into action. The SVRI advocates for and supports rigorous and ethically sound projects that have considered and addressed the potential risks of the work. This must include ensuring that research participants are appropriately protected from potential harm and that all efforts have been taken to protect the rights, welfare and dignity of research participants. It also includes consideration of the risks of vicarious trauma for staff and ensuring that the project is planned in accordance with applicable ethical guidelines.

 

Idea #4:  Fund research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) led by LMIC-based researchers

The need of the hour is to support much more research in LMICs where the burden of violence is highest. As a field, we need to support evidence building on effective VAW and VAC prevention that is conceptualised, developed, implemented and evaluated in LMICs and led by LMIC-based researchers. This is because research and innovation conceived and driven by local actors builds interventions tailored to the specific needs and challenges faced by women and children in these settings and maximises the potential for them to be used by policy makers and taken to scale to positively impact the well-being of vulnerable populations. Yet a recent analysis of the nine highest impact medical and global health journals found that almost 30% of publications of primary research conducted in LMICs did not contain any local authors. Funders can ensure that they support equitable partnerships by shifting funding to LMIC partners, building the requisite relationships with all members in a consortium and promoting agreements that are reached in consultative and participatory ways. The SVRI is one of the few research funding mechanisms supporting open calls for research on VAW and VAC in LMICs and led by LMIC-based researchers.

 

Idea #5:  Follow feminist research practices

Follow feminist research because much of the most exciting, contextually relevant, inclusive, and thoughtful work in this field is being done by feminist organisations and movements based in LMICs, such as Raising Voices in Uganda. Feminist research practices support different and multiple forms of knowledge – including academic, practitioner, indigenous and activist voices and we must follow them if we are to find solutions to complex problems like VAW and VAC. Feminist research practices also emphasise the importance of centering the work, learning, experiences, and voices of activists, practitioners, survivors and those with lived experience in research on VAW and VAC. Additionally, as the examination of power is a central tenet of feminist research, this approach helps shines a light on the inequitable practices and power imbalances within research partnerships include who sets the research question, who owns the data, who can access and analyse the data, who sets the budget and who is paid what in terms of salaries and who gets authorship and recognition for the research products. 

 

Idea #6: Promote self and collective care

Given the high risk of both direct and vicarious trauma when undertaking research on sensitive issues such as VAW and VAC, research organisations must prioritise self and collective care. This includes building a culture of care where practices related to well-being can flourish and where this is conceptually understood as critical to preserving and sustaining the individuals behind the work. Academia is beset by a mental health crisis and must begin to build evidence-based workplace wellbeing programmes and promote collaborative research to retain early career researchers and to sustain and enable innovation and good science to flourish. 

 

Idea #7: Support skills building and capacity strengthening

Provide training and support to researchers, particularly early career researchers and those from LMICs, to enhance their skills in conducting ethical and robust research on violence against women. Investing in research capacity in LMICs empowers local researchers and institutions, fostering sustainable solutions that are developed and implemented by those with intimate knowledge of the communities they serve. This strengthens the resilience of local systems and enhances the long-term impact of interventions. 

 

Idea #8: Disseminate evidence effectively to policy makers

We do this work because we care, and because we care we must ensure our research findings are useful and have potential to improve and strengthen policy and practice. By providing policymakers with clear, accessible and relevant evidence, researchers can influence policy agendas, shape legislative frameworks and advocate for the allocation of resources to support effective interventions. This process involves disseminating research findings through various channels–such as policy briefs, presentations and stakeholder engagements–and actively engaging with policymakers to ensure that evidence is understood, valued and integrated into decision-making processes. We work to strengthen the field on this issue, through offerings such as our course on research impact curated by global experts in the field and available online and free.

Idea #9: Co-create and collaborate

Studies show that to get research into policy and practice we must also focus on relationships and work collaboratively. Gender-based violence (GBV) is a complex problem that no one organisation or sector can solve on their own. Addressing and ultimately ending GBV requires diverse actors, organisations and institutions from multiple sectors to come together and work in partnership. Grantee partners should be strongly encouraged to plan and co-create with local government and community stakeholders from the inception of their research studies in order to promote research uptake and use by decision making partners. For example, a critical success factor in projects that the SVRI has supported has been an active involvement and partnership with key local actors early in the project cycle. In one such project in Peru, researchers, funders, the police, a national ministry, and  the UN through UNDP worked together from early on and saw the potential for innovation, scale-up and impact. The result was the uptake of a risk assessment tool on intimate partner violence in all districts after the Ministry of Women approved its use nationally.

 

Idea #10: Foster and strengthen relationships

One way of doing this is by creating space that encourages challenging conversation and debate and allows researchers, practitioners, policymakers, advocates, survivors, donors and other stakeholders to share knowledge, best practices and lived experiences for addressing VAW and VAC in a safe and caring environment. The SVRI Forum, held biennially, is a central component of our effort to develop a global community dedicated to ending VAW and VAC. It is the only abstract driven event for our field that provides knowledge builders and partners from LMICs with access to a global space to share their work, connect and learn from others. 

 

Idea #11: Use intersectional approaches

A key priority is the need to focus on and deepen research with marginalised populations. To build robust evidence, we need to adopt frameworks that recognise the interconnectedness of various forms of oppression and discrimination, addressing the unique experiences of women based on intersecting identities such as race, class, sexuality and disability. Research undertaken with an intersectional lens can amplify the voices and experiences of marginalised communities that face a high burden of violence and ensure that solutions are designed in ways that leave no one behind. 

 

Idea #12: Promote knowledge exchange

Connect with organisations like the SVRI–with over 11,000 members, it is the largest global knowledge network on VAW and VAC in LMICs, providing platforms and opportunities for multiple stakeholders to share knowledge, build tools, reduce duplication, identify gaps and promote change.  Ensure the sharing of research findings, best practices, new tools and methodologies, and innovation in research among stakeholders through conferences, publications, online platforms and community forums so that researchers and practitioners in the field can easily access information that might help them in their work. Advocate with donors for funding to ensure that these events and products are as accessible as possible. 

 

Idea #13: Conduct and use research priority setting exercises

Research priority setting is important because it helps to identify evidence gaps and highlight priority areas for research that can guide research expenditure and ensure precious resources are spent effectively. However, for too long research agendas have been set by those far removed from the communities whom the research is meant to serve. This is why it is important to use rigorous and inclusive consultative review processes to work together with various partners, members and thought leaders to identify, validate and disseminate research priorities that are set by the field, for the field not by the loudest or most senior in a room. For the SVRI, these RPS exercises lead to shared research agendas that act as a global public good, providing the international community with a set of research questions we can rally behind and ensuring that we get the answers we need for more effective programming, policies and interventions that reduce violence against women and children on the ground.

 

Idea #14: Use technology

Technology can and is being harnessed globally in efforts to bolster VAW prevention, mitigation and response. We must continue to develop and utilise innovative technologies, with appropriate ethical controls in place, such as digital platforms and mobile applications, to collect, analyse and disseminate data on VAW and VAC and provide access to support services. For instance, studies show that “digital research tools can enable faster and more cost-effective GBV data collection and analysis, improve data quality and data safety.” Whilst most tech-based interventions have focused on response services and access to care, there is growing evidence on the use of technology to strengthen prevention programming in development and humanitarian contexts. 

 

Idea #15: Support realist research

Ending violence driven by gender inequality and violence against children requires a whole of society approach. One part of the solution is the integration of GBV prevention and response interventions in sectoral efforts–such as health, housing, justice, employment, climate change and education as well as large infrastructural development programmes. At this juncture, research and evidence on how to do this effectively is in its infancy. Therefore, to work towards collective impact, we need to prioritise realist research that is innovating and testing new approaches, adapting successful interventions to new contexts and settings and doing this at scale by integrating VAW prevention into existing structures and systems within countries. Not sure where to begin learning about how to implement realist research? The SVRI has a non-exhaustive list of available academic and practitioner resources (toolkits, guides, briefs, etc.) on this topic.

 

Idea #16:  Fund field catalysts

Identify and fund the organisations that work as ‘field catalysts’ that mobilise and convene multiple actors across the field toward a shared goal for equitable systems change. Research shows that field catalysts build, strengthen and coordinate relationships across actors throughout the ecosystem (in this case the violence prevention ecosystem), that they are often the “highest leverage investments that philanthropy can make when it comes to equitable systems change”, and that they need flexible and adaptive funding to work effectively over the long term.

All pictures used are Creative Commons images (from top to bottom):