The research entry point refers to safe and ethical generation of evidence that informs GBV risk mitigation integration into programming, policy and practice.
Why is it Important?
Research and evidence are crucial for shifting organizational mindsets and convincing decision-makers to prioritize GBV risk mitigation. Some sectors may demand extensive evidence to act, even though all sectors are required to integrate GBV risk mitigation.
However, inadequate consideration of GBV in research can inadvertently increase risks. For example, a woman might face heightened domestic violence risk due to participating in an interview in a conservative area. Ensuring research is conducted safely and ethically is essential, particularly for sensitive issues like GBV.
GBV actors play a vital role in demonstrating the effectiveness of GBV risk mitigation through their programming. Highlighting the benefits and positive outcomes for beneficiaries, programs, and staff is key to institutionalizing GBV risk mitigation.
Additionally, other sectors must apply a GBV risk mitigation lens in their research, ensuring that researchers are trained on GBV referrals to properly support survivors.
Why are they relevant?: Developed to support colleagues working in other sectors to integrate GBV considerations into programmatic M&E and research studies. The original version was designed for the nutrition sector but has since been adapted for other sectors, such as education.
Why are they relevant?: Offers key guidance for anyone planning to conduct research and monitoring related to sexual violence in emergencies.
Why are they relevant?: Provides a conceptual overview of the research philosophy of the International Women’s Development Agency’s (IWDA)' and the key ethical and research principles that inform its research approach. It defines and unpacks key concepts and outlines the key stages of the research cycle. It could be helpful for creating a feminist research framework for organizations or for understanding how to apply feminist principles to research.
Why are they relevant?: Empowered Aid provides practical resources to mitigate sexual exploitation and abuse. This two-pager provides a list of available resources in a user-friendly manner. For example, the Participatory Action Toolkit provides the consent forms and data collection tools used by the research team during the first phase of Empowered Aid.
Example 1
UNICEF’s work to synthesize GBV risk mitigation-related evidence in nutrition
UNICEF has leveraged research and learning to drive change within the nutrition sector and establish an evidence base for GBV risk mitigation approaches. First, these efforts involved compiling existing evidence on the linkages between exposure to GBV and nutrition outcomes. A rapid evidence assessment on the linkages between GBV and children's nutrition outcomes has produced four evidence briefs that show how GBV can contribute to poor nutrition outcomes. In particular, it demonstrated that a female caregiver's experience of intimate partner violence negatively affects breastfeeding practices and is also linked to low birthweight, stunting and severe malnutrition in her children.
Following the piloting of GBV risk mitigation within nutrition programs in South Sudan, UNICEF conducted the first-ever impact evaluation to assess the effectiveness of these interventions. The findings demonstrated that integrating GBV risk mitigation into nutrition services has multiple benefits, including increasing nutrition users’ feelings of safety and increasing referrals (in both directions) between nutrition and GBV services
