Checklist for ensuring the quality of violence against women surveys

21 items · Health · Medium difficulty · 30 min

Ensure safe, ethical, and reliable violence against women surveys.

• Define clear survey objectives

  State what you want to measure and who will benefit from findings.

• Select validated measurement tools

  Use questions tested for safety and accuracy in similar settings.

• Pilot test the questionnaire

  Run a small test to check understanding, flow, and timing.

• Obtain ethical approval and institutional clearance

  Secure review from relevant ethics boards before data collection.

• Develop a participant safety and response protocol

  Include immediate support, referral pathways, and emergency steps.

• Train data collectors on ethics and trauma-informed interviewing

  Ensure interviewers can protect confidentiality and respond sensitively.

• Teach the informed consent process

  Practice explaining rights, risks, and voluntary participation clearly.

• Practice referral and support scripts

  Prepare clear wording to offer help and local service details.

• Run role-play interviews

  Use scenarios to build interviewer confidence and safety skills.

• Ensure secure data storage and anonymization

  Plan encryption, access limits, and remove direct identifiers.

• Recruit participants using safe, non-coercive methods

  Avoid public recruitment that could expose participants to risk.

• Obtain informed consent and confirm voluntary participation

  Give time for questions and allow refusal without penalty.

• Conduct interviews in private, safe locations or secure remote setups

  Verify privacy before asking sensitive questions.

• Provide information on support services and referrals

  Share local, accessible resources and how to contact them.

• Monitor interviewer wellbeing and provide debriefing

  Protect staff mental health and limit repeated exposure.

• Schedule regular check-ins for interview teams

  Hold brief, routine meetings to spot issues early.

• Offer counseling resources to staff

  Provide access to professional support if needed.

• Validate and clean collected data

  Check for inconsistencies, duplicates, and missing responses.

• Analyze data ethically and report anonymized results

  Avoid details that could identify individuals or locations.

• Store and dispose of data according to policy

  Follow retention schedules and secure deletion methods.

• Plan responsible sharing of findings with stakeholders and survivors

  Communicate results in ways that protect participants and inform action.

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