Researching Violence Against Women

In this edited collection leading authors in the field draw on their experience to address key methodological questions and challenges that have arisen from the recent proliferation of research projects and government funded initiatives on violence against women. Topics include: evaluation research and feminist methodology; using quantitative and qualitative approaches; ethics, safety and access in sensitive research; interviewing practitioners, perpetrators, policy makers, and survivors (including children, women and young people); utilising discourse analysis to interpret data; undertaking cross national and comparative research; practical guidelines for practitioners/academics wishing to consult with women survivors; gearing research to facilitate positive change in policy and practice; and using the media for dissemination. increased focus on gender related violence politically and academicallythis book addresses head on the complex methodological issues involvedleading experts in the field as contributors

Draws on the collective experiences and insights of many individuals, and in particular from the implementation of the WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women in over 10 countries. Twenty years ago, violence against women was not considered an issue worthy of international concern. Gradually, violence against women has come to be recognized as a legitimate human rights issue and as a significant threat to women's health and well-being. Now that international attention is focused on gender-based violence, methodologically rigorous research is needed to guide the formulation and implementation of effective interventions, policies, and prevention strategies. The manual has been developed in response to the growing need to improve the quality, quantity, and comparability of international data on physical and sexual abuse. It outlines some of the methodological and ethical challenges of conducting research on violence against women and describes a range of innovative techniques that have been used to address these challenges.

Violence against women is one factor in the growing wave of alarm about violence in American society. High-profile cases such as the O.J. Simpson trial call attention to the thousands of lesser-known but no less tragic situations in which women's lives are shattered by beatings or sexual assault. The search for solutions has highlighted not only what we know about violence against women but also what we do not know. How can we achieve the best understanding of this problem and its complex ramifications? What research efforts will yield the greatest benefit? What are the questions that must be answered? Understanding Violence Against Women presents a comprehensive overview of current knowledge and identifies four areas with the greatest potential return from a research investment by increasing the understanding of and responding to domestic violence and rape: What interventions are designed to do, whom they are reaching, and how to reach the many victims who do not seek help. Factors that put people at risk of violence and that precipitate violence, including characteristics of offenders. The scope of domestic violence and sexual assault in America and its conequences to individuals, families, and society, including costs. How to structure the study of violence against women to yield more useful knowledge. Despite the news coverage and talk shows, the real fundamental nature of violence against women remains unexplored and often misunderstood. Understanding Violence Against Women provides direction for increasing knowledge that can help ameliorate this national problem.

Feminist research on gender, violence and abuse has been an area of academic study since the late 1970s, and has increased exponentially over this time on a global scale. Although situated in a predominantly qualitative tradition, research in the field has developed to include quantitative and mixed methodologies. This book offers a compendium of research methods on gender and violence, from the traditional to the innovative, and showcases best practice in feminist research and international case studies. Researching Gender, Violence and Abuse covers: The origins of feminist research, Ethical considerations relating to research on gender, violence and abuse, Working in partnership with organisations such as the police or the voluntary sector, A comprehensive range of research methods including interviews and focus groups, surveys, arts-based research and ethnography, The challenges and opportunities of working with existing data, The influence of activism on research and the translation of research into policy and practice. This book is perfect reading for students taking courses on violence against women, domestic violence, gender and crime, as well as advanced students embarking on new research.

This is an international, comparative survey which interviews random samples of women about their experiences with male violence. The authors form a management team for the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS). The primary objective of IVAWS is to investigate the level and nature of victimization of women in a number of countries worldwide This work builds on the international network and experience of the European Institute of Crime Prevention and Control (HUENI).

"World Health Organization, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, South African Medical Research Council"--Title page.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [198]-226) and index.