How to deal with vulnerable interviewees

Introduction

This guide contains resources and important considerations to be put in place when conducting interviews, particularly with survivors of violence and sexual harassment.

At GenderIT.org, our priorities include giving space to voices from the global South and to the voices of marginalised communities, including victims of violence and sexual harassment. This means an awareness of both our own power and the power of others – including ways in which our actions can enhance or detract from the power of the person whose voice is being heard.

This also means an awareness of the vulnerabilities of those who have experienced sexual or other violence or harassment – giving them the power to decide how anonymous they wish to be, for example, allowing them to choose how to refer to themselves (as a survivor, as a victim, etc.), giving them ample space and time to tell, write or edit their story, and time for them to be happy about how it will be shared (if it is to be shared).

Overview

A key resource here is the Witness guide to interviewing survivors of sexual assault. Violence survivors include those in positions of power and authority and if you are speaking to them about their experience of violence, particularly sexual violence or assault, it is still important to follow these principles.

Another important document is the WHO guide on research on domestic violence available in English, French and Spanish.

WHO Guiding Principles for Domestic Violence Research

a. The safety of respondents and the research team is paramount, and should guide all project decisions.

b. Prevalence studies need to be methodologically sound and to build upon current research experience about how to minimise the under-reporting of violence.

c. Protecting confidentiality is essential to ensure both women’s safety and data quality.

d. All research team members should be carefully selected and receive specialised training and ongoing support.

e. The study design must include actions aimed at reducing any possible distress caused to the participants by the research.

f. Fieldworkers should be trained to refer women requesting assistance to available local services and sources of support. Where few resources exist, it may be necessary for the study to create short-term support mechanisms.

g. Researchers and donors have an ethical obligation to help ensure that their findings are properly interpreted and used to advance policy and intervention development.

h. Violence questions should only be incorporated into surveys designed for other purposes when ethical and methodological requirements can be met.

Drawing from these principles, Rima Athar, in Research design for “From impunity to justice: Exploring corporate and legal remedies for technology-related violence against women” research (APC, November 2013), drew up these guidelines:

Obtaining informed consent

• Interviewees are treated as human beings with agency, capable of determining and deciding what is best for them, and not mere subjects or as means to extract data.
• With respect to their self-determination, a) the nature of the interview, b) any risks and benefits which might result from their participation, c) their rights to refuse to participate or to end their participation without penalty, and d) the means by which they can contact the writer shall be first explained to potential interviewees in language they understand.
• It is imperative to stress that consent is voluntary, and as such can be withdrawn at any time prior to publication. Writers must ensure the possibility for interviewees to withdraw their consent (at minimum by providing a way to contact the writer).
• Only those who express willingness shall be interviewed.

Providing support

Interviewees stand to face positive as well as negative effects from their involvement/participation. The writer shall ensure that interviewees not only benefit from the publication of the interview but also from the actual conduct of the interview itself. A good interviewer pays careful attention to the interaction with interviewees as this is critical in remaining aware of potential hierarchies and associated power dynamics that may arise.

During the interview

Use sensitive and appropriate methods. The writer shall be in close collaboration with the interviewee and is enjoined not just to have an instrumental but genuine relationship with them, recognising that there is no "detachment" from the interviewee’s problems. Treating all people as human beings will entail a degree of emotional involvement and create a bond between the interviewer and respondent that can potentially empower both, without creating or fostering dependence.

It entails listening to the interviewee with sensitivity. Those who have experienced violation and trauma may react poorly to questions around their experiences, and the writer should be able to recognise this and provide an appropriate response.

During the course of the interview, the interviewer should introduce any section enquiring about violence carefully, forewarning the respondent about the nature of the questions and giving her the opportunity to either stop the interview, or not to answer these questions.

Collaboration means also that the interviewer is willing to self-disclose - to share her/his experience if the interviewee requests.

At all times refrain from any conduct or statement that has the effect or impact of blaming the woman for the violence she has experienced.

Boundaries

Writers shall take steps to address other needs of the interviewee such as counselling, psycho-social and emotional support through referrals to local and culturally appropriate resources. However, be explicit about limitations and do not make promises that cannot be fulfilled. Interviewers should not take on a role as counsellor.

Interviewers should be open to assisting the respondent if asked, within the limits of these protocols, but should not tell her what to do or to take on the personal burden of trying to “save her”.

Variations in individual and cultural understandings of what constitutes violence against women (including rape, marital rape, assault, harassment, etc.) are to be expected. The writer’s role in working with victims/survivors of violence (as well as all other interviewees) is to bring out their own understanding of the violence they experienced (or witnessed or participated in), through questions and sharing of perspectives that provide room for conversation around different views, rather than trying to stick with a pre-determined definition/understanding of what constitutes violence, rape, harassment, assault, etc.

Providing referrals to social support services

Prior to conducting the interview, research potential providers of support, which may include existing health, legal and social services and educational resources in the community, and less formal providers of support (including community representatives, religious leaders, traditional healers and women’s organisations).

A list of such resources should be made available to the interviewee, but only provided if and when asked for. Such a list should be framed as resources for “women’s heath” broadly, to minimise risks to interviewees that may result from possessing such a list.

Ensuring confidentiality

All involved, from the interviewer to the editor, have the duty to assure the women that their identities will be protected, if this has been agreed upon.

Confidentiality means that participants cannot be identified by others, so any identifying information (such as location, etc.) is to be stripped from all materials pertaining to the interview, including photographs and recordings. Interviewees shall determine what kind of information and details to share, no matter how crucial the women’s revelations.

Location of interview

Interviews cost the interviewee time and energy. Therefore, they should be carried out in settings that are most convenient for them.

Logistics planning should include consideration of respondent safety.

Interviews should be conducted in complete privacy. In cases where privacy cannot be ensured, interviews should be rescheduled or relocated.

Recording the interview

Audio recordings should be made for in-depth interviews with survivors of violence.

The permission of the respondents should be sought before taping. The name of the respondent should not be included in the audio recording at any stage.

Respondents should be informed of who will have access to the tapes and for how long they will be kept.

1. In this case, only the interviewer (and transcriber, if different from the interviewer) will have access to the audio recording.

2. The audio recordings should be kept in an encrypted file (1) on an external hard drive, in a locked cabinet, with limited access.

3. The audio recording should be destroyed after publication.

Extreme caution must be taken to securely transport raw data from locations of interviews to places where data isprocessed. That applies to all recoding media. Encryption software must be used during all data storage to ensure security of the data. (2)

Transcribing the interviews

The importance of recording and transcribing the interviews is to ensure that women’s experiences and perspectives are shared in their own words. Relying on the interviewers’ notes/memories may be insufficient to ensure quality of data and its analysis.

Transcribing the interviews also enables the respondents the option of reviewing the information they have provided if they wish, and choosing which information they consent to share.

Particular care should be taken to ensure that no one community or individual can be identified.

Checklist

• Think before you upload your story to the internet and if your security or the security of others could be compromised by others seeing it or not.

• If you or the interviewee don't want your face shown, or your voice clearly recognisable, you can use tools to help guarantee anonymity (Audacity has tools for audio, ObscuraCam for video).

• Never use an image of a person without that person's permission, regardless of who owns the image.

(1) Use encryption software (VeraCrypt) to ensure security of the file.

(2) VeraCrypt is a recommended free/libre open source application that can be used for encrypting data on your computers and portable devices.