Collecting Reliable Information About Violence Against Women Safely in Household Interviews: Experience From a Large-Scale National Survey in South Asia

• NCJ Number: 226949
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 15 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2009 Pages: 482-496
• Author(s): Neil Andersson; Anne Cockcroft; Noor Ansari; Khalid Omer; Ubaid Ullah Chaudhry; Amir Khan; Lu Wei Pearson
• Date Published: April 2009
• Length: 15 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: United Kingdom's Dept for International Development (DFID)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the first national survey of violence against women in Pakistan from 2001 to 2004.

Abstract

The design and methods of this national household survey produced a reliable estimate of the overall rate of violence and other forms of abuse experienced by women in Pakistan. In addition, an examination was able to be undertaken of the factors that increased or decreased the risk of abuse in the overall population of women forming the basis for constructive discussions about the findings that followed. The study took place between 2001 and 2004 and comprised a design phase, reviewing previous work in Pakistan and elsewhere, and consulting a large-scale, nationally representative household survey. The survey took account of methodological and ethical recommendations, ensuring privacy of interviews through one person interviewing the mother-in-law while another interviewed the eligible woman privately. The training module for interviewers focused on empathy with respondents, notably increasing disclosure rates. Surveys of violence against women in Pakistan not using methods to minimize underreporting could seriously underestimate prevalence. Table and references