Introduction
Ethical feminist research is a radical departure from patriarchal norms that have long dominated knowledge production. It places marginalised voices and lived experiences at the centre, rooted in intersectionality to recognise the overlapping and multifaceted nature of social identities, including gender, class, caste, ethnicity, and sexuality. This approach embodies a profound ethical responsibility, demanding a rigorous commitment to principles of respect, empowerment, and social justice. Ethical feminist research not only produces knowledge but ensures its dissemination in ways that empower communities and foster social change.
Feminist Research Landscape in South and Southeast Asia
Across South and Southeast Asia, numerous organisations are leading impactful projects with survivors’ voices at the centre of their advocacy – braving a countless number of challenges that these organisations uniquely face in their capacities due to deeply rooted socio-cultural norms. A few of the organizations that are spearheading these feminist research initiatives are:
- Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha amplifies women’s voices to advocate for gender-just policies.
- India: Majlis Legal Centre, a prominent women’s rights organisation in India, focuses on providing free legal aid to survivors, and integrates feminist principles in its legal advocacy and research, amplifying survivors’ voices.
- Indonesia: Kalyanamitra emphasises women’s health and anti-violence efforts, empowering marginalised groups through participatory research methods.
- Nepal: The Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC) facilitates culturally sensitive discussions, engaging communities in feminist research.
- Philippines: Gabriela prioritises grassroots women’s rights and employs feminist research to support advocacy for labour and domestic violence policies.
- Thailand: The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) trains local women leaders through its Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) program, fostering community-based research capacity.
How do we practise principles of Ethical Feminist Research at Jan Sahas?
At Jan Sahas, our commitment to ethical feminist research means upholding core principles to ensure that our work respects and supports participants. Here’s how we apply these principles:
- Respect and Dignity for participants: The dignity of survivors is central to our work. By creating a safe and non-judgmental environment, we prioritise participants’ needs, particularly when addressing sensitive topics.
- Informed Consent: Our consent process is thorough and transparent with a focus on confidentiality, privacy, and informed decision-making. The purpose of the research, its risks, and benefits are explained in detail in accessible language, allowing participants to make informed choices.
- Confidentiality and Privacy: Interviews are conducted only in the presence of community workers who closely work with survivors. We use pseudonyms to protect the identities of participants and maintain rigorous standards for data collection and storage to foster trust and safety of participants.
- Social Justice: Our research promotes social justice by highlighting systemic issues like caste and gender-based violence. Findings are also used to advocate for policies and practices with key stakeholders that drive positive change for marginalized communities.
Beyond Research: Ethical Commitment to Post-Research Practices
Jan Sahas prioritises accessible, transparent dissemination methods that ensure communities and broader audiences can meaningfully engage with the research findings. Practising ethics of feminist research is not limited to pre-research or during the research – it is a long-standing commitment that continues even after the research is concluded. Below are some strategies Jan Sahas uses to ensure impactful dissemination of research outputs to the communities:
- Translation of research findings: Translating research findings into different languages such as Hindi and English, is an attempt to prevent linguistic barriers, enabling participants and community members to engage with the research outputs directly.
- Using accessible language and multimedia formats: Jan Sahas uses straightforward language and multimedia tools, such as infographics and videos, to convey findings effectively. This approach empowers community members, allowing them to understand and apply the knowledge and limits in accessible academic jargon.
- Engaging with policymakers and advocacy groups: Jan Sahas leverages research findings by engaging with key stakeholders such as policymakers, government officials, NGOs, and other advocacy groups. This enables the dissemination of research outcomes recognising the crucial role played by these stakeholders in the successful formulation and implementation of policies aimed at the prevention of violence against women. The approach also facilitates research-driven dialogue allowing stakeholders to reflect on their roles and responsibilities to provide comprehensive support services to survivors.
- Open access for publishing: Research findings are published in open-access journals or platforms for–wider accessibility, such as policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and the general audience. This contributes to the democratisation of knowledge around sexual violence against women supporting evidence-based advocacy–helping drive public awareness and supporting grassroots movements with evidence-based narratives.
- Research findings informing program interventions/strategy: The research outcomes help shape and redefine the organisation’s programmatic interventions. The data-driven research insights are critical in identifying gaps in interventions/strategies, assessing their effectiveness, and identifying areas for improvement to adapt to the needs of the community.
Conclusion
Ethical feminist research challenges traditional paradigms of knowledge production by centering survivor narratives and fostering collaborative spaces where respondents are co-creators of knowledge. Despite the transformative potential of feminist research, challenges persist, especially in funder-driven research with limited time for reflection, learning, and dissemination. Identifying impactful dissemination strategies is critical for meaningful dialogue among key stakeholders for positive change.
The approach is rooted in honouring survivors’ narratives rather than viewing them as mere subjects of inquiry. Therefore, Jan Sahas’ emphasis on investing in such interventions is significant as it amplifies the voices of the marginalised contributing to survivor-centric practices and transformative change.
Highlighting the importance of ethical feminist research, a team member says,
“I believe the research we conduct helps in amplifying the voices of the communities we work with. It becomes a platform for them to express themselves which they might not otherwise have. They engage with us as active participants in the research which makes them feel empowered. For them, research becomes a medium which elevates their voices and experiences and they eagerly look forward to the research findings and the impact it can create.”
