Citation

van der Heijden I, Harries J, Abrahams N. Glob. Public Health 2019; 14(5): 737-749.

Affiliation

a Gender and Health Research Unit , South African Medical Research Council , Cape Town , South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17441692.2018.1542015

PMID

30392442

Abstract

Globally, women with disabilities experience heightened and unique forms of violence compared to men with disabilities and women without disabilities. Yet formalised guidelines for their inclusion in gender-based violence (GBV) research is lacking. This paper draws on ethical guidelines for researching violence against women, and studies on the ethicality of including people with disabilities in research, to advocate for women with disabilities' inclusion and safety in GBV research. Reflecting on lessons from a qualitative study on violence against women living with disabilities in South Africa, the paper considers what could be of value for GBV researchers and ethics review committees in low-middle income countries (LMICs). It aims to stimulate debate around the integration of reasonable accommodation, accessibility, and equal participation of women with disabilities in planning and conducting ethical GBV research. The paper recommends that considerations are practically applied and tested in other LMICs, and thereafter critiqued in consultation with a range of stakeholders and women with disabilities, to enhance best practice and form a basis for developing guidelines for undertaking ethical and inclusive GBV research in LMICs.

Language: en

Keywords

Ethics; disability; gender-based violence; inclusive research; violence against women