Physical, sexual and emotional violence .
Word limit – Up to 1000 words per whole question (equivalent to approximately
2 pages of single-spaced, typed text, with size 11 Arial font).
Global evidence shows that women and girls aged 15 to 49 years are at increased
risk of physical, sexual and emotional violence from family members and intimate
partners during periods of conflict. An international non-governmental organisation
(NGO), working in a refugee camp, wants to improve the way it responds to the
health and psychosocial needs of women and girls who experience violence.
However, there is very little research evidence on violence response interventions in humanitarian settings. The NGO wants to better understand the needs and priorities of women and girls in the refugee camp to make sure their services are meeting their needs.
You are a researcher at a local university. You have been asked to conduct a
qualitative study in the refugee camp, to explore women’s and girls’ experiences of violence, attitudes towards seeking help and use of the NGO services.
a) You choose to conduct in-depth interviews. Describe the key features of this
method and explain why this is appropriate for your research. What are the
advantages of this method over other types of interviews? (20%)
b) Describe the sampling strategy you will use for your interviews and justify your
approach. (20%)
c) How would you develop a good interview topic guide? What kind of questions
are most useful? (30%)
d) Briefly describe what is meant by the term “informed consent”, the process of
obtaining it from research participants, and the challenges to this process in the
conduct of this research.
