WOMEN SPEAK:
THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH ON WOMAN ABUSE
This document was prepared by
Mary Nelder of Nelder Management Services
and Susan J. Snelling of Social Research Consulting.
The present study was funded by the Research and Statistics Division, Department of Justice Canada. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Justice Canada.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Women Speak: The Value of Community-Based Research on Woman Abuse examined the
community-based research process used in the Ontario Rural Woman Abuse Study (ORWAS),
which was implemented in the fall of 1997. ORWAS was an initiative of the Department of
Justice Canada in partnership with the Community Abuse Program of Rural Ontario (CAPRO).
Health Canada supplied interdepartmental financial support for the initiative.
The Women Speak: The Value of Community-Based Research on Woman Abuse project began in
January 1999 under the joint sponsorship of Justice Canada and Health Canada. The objectives
of the project were: 1) to review the research process developed through ORWAS and draw
some conclusions about the value of a community-based approach; 2) to investigate the effects
of participating in woman abuse research on the survivors, community researchers, and project
leaders; and 3) to examine the benefits to government and communities of a collaborative
partnership.
Telephone interviews were conducted with 21 survivors, 4 community researchers, and 3 project
leaders. Quotations from the interviews are presented as they relate to the three objectives of the
project.
Ristock and Pennell (1996) describe a methodology for conducting community-based research
that they call «Research as Empowerment». This methodology served as the theoretical
framework for the objectives of the Women Speak project. «Research as Empowerment»
involves people in research who are not normally considered to have research skills, as a way of
including alternative views and representing multiple perspectives. ORWAS can be considered
«Research as Empowerment» in that it was democratic in the design process, involving the
community researchers in all aspects of the research. Through the provision of skills,
confidence, and support, the ORWAS study laid the groundwork for community action by
contributing to the empowerment of the community researchers. The steps to promote
community action on woman abuse are discussed with reference to a framework supplied by
Horvath (1999).
Research Process
As shown in ORWAS, a collaborative process can yield greater understanding while providing a
way to do research on rural woman abuse in a respectful, meaningful way. One important aspect
of the approach used in the ORWAS study is that the words and experiences of survivors were
central to the method, the findings and the reports. By putting the survivors' views front and
centre in the project, ORWAS ensured that the survivors felt that they were respected throughout
the process.
The ORWAS project leaders assigned great importance to using a community-based approach and
they were committed to «giving something back» to the communities. By choosing researchers
who knew their communities well and by respecting their knowledge, this process underscored
the belief that locale is relevant in the analysis of woman abuse. The community researchers
believed that the community-based method made the project stronger, the findings more
significant and the experience more memorable for all who participated. It was the leaders'opinion that the use of community members as researchers achieved data of greater quality and
depth than would have been possible with researchers from outside the survivors' communities.
Effects of Participating
With respect to the effects of participating in community-based research, the benefits clearly
outweighed the drawbacks for the women survivors as well as the researchers. Many spoke of
gains in self-confidence and of the positive experience of being part of such a project. They felt
that the qualitative research method was respectful of the survivors' experiences and feelings,
and that the interviews allowed survivors to tell their stories and to be listened to in a supportive
setting. Although the process raised some negative emotions and physical symptoms in
survivors, community researchers and project leaders, these negative effects were offset by the
feeling that something positive could come out of the research. No one regretted her
participation in the ORWAS study; in fact, all the survivors said they would not hesitate to do it
again if asked. The community researchers felt that they had gained a great deal through their
participation in the research. They increased their knowledge of woman abuse issues, built up
their research skills, met and were inspired by courageous survivors, and spent enjoyable and
productive time working on an important issue with other community researchers and project
leaders. The project leaders described the excitement of working in such depth with community
members and with survivors of woman abuse.
Benefits of Partnership
Justice Canada partnered with the Community Abuse Program of Rural Ontario (CAPRO) in
order to conduct the community-based research in ORWAS. This partnership provides an
example of some of the mutual benefits of government/community partnering. Access to the
knowledge and human resources based in communities (facilitated by CAPRO) contributed to
the depth and strength of the research. The next steps toward community action on woman abuse
may arise from the groundwork laid by this research partnership. The example of the ORWAS
project also highlights the unique role that government can play in initiating research of such
broad scope.
Recommendations
Recommendations are provided for researchers who plan to use a community-based research
process to study violence against women, drawing from the case study of the ORWAS project.
Recommendations regarding the research process suggest that community-based methods are
valid and valuable approaches for the study of woman abuse. Recommendations regarding the
effects of the research suggest that sensitivity can and must be incorporated into all aspects of
woman abuse research, in order for the process to minimise negative effects and even to create
some positive outcomes. Recommendations regarding the government/community partnership
suggest ways that multiple benefits can be realised for survivors, communities, community
organisations and government.
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