Ethical issues in Research
Ethical issues in research on violence against women raise several unique ethical problems of concern in addition to those experienced in other research work. Safety, confidentiality and interviewer skill and knowledge should be given substantial weight when dealing with domestic violence failure to which the respondents and research team are put in jeopardy. It is vital to implement strategies to overcome challenges and manage risks while undertaking such kind of research (Hesse-Biber, 2013). The researchers should be aware of the ethical issues around this critical research topic and also devise interventions to mitigate the risks.
It is essential that the safety of both the researchers and respondents should be assured while undertaking the research. There should be adequate safety while conducting human rights documentation since the privacy of the matter might trigger a negative response from other people (García-Moreno et al, 2015). Data should be collected such that the respondents or researchers cannot be attacked by people who do not want the information exposed such as the perpetrators.
Confidentiality is another strategy that will assure a safe research environment interviewees and witnesses should be assured that the information will remain confidential and won’t be exposed to third parties. It is very crucial that the research team takes precautions for the safeguarding of the identities of the respondents. Advocacy guidelines should be used by the researchers whenever there is need to work closely with the victims of violence to enhance the provision of confidential support. The role of an advocate and a researcher are very distinct yet with the need to intervene in domestic violence researchers may take up advocacy roles (Hesse-Biber, 2013). The researchers are therefore supposed to take up such positions confidentially to ensure data collection and support for the victims.
References
García-Moreno, C., Hegarty, K., d’Oliveira, A. F. L., Koziol-McLain, J., Colombini, M., & Feder, G. (2015). The health-systems response to violence against women. The Lancet, 385(9977), 1567-1579.
Hesse-Biber, S. N. (Ed.). (2013). Feminist research practice: A primer. Sage Publications.
