Ethics & Methods of GBV Data Collection (2026)

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious human rights violation rooted in unequal power relations, harmful gender norms and broader social inequalities. It affects children, adolescents and adults across all contexts and has profound consequences for health, safety, wellbeing, education, livelihoods and the realization of rights. Robust and ethical evidence is essential to understanding GBV risks and drivers, identifying barriers to services, designing effective programmes, strengthening advocacy, and informing decisions that advance gender equality and protection outcomes.

This guidance supports Save the Children staff and partners to collect GBV data in ways that are safe, ethical, survivor-centred, child-centred and useful for decision-making. It recognises that collecting data on violence can create risks for participants, communities, service providers and study teams if appropriate safeguards are not in place. As such, the guidance supports teams to determine whether data collection is necessary, whether lower-risk alternatives can answer the learning need, and what protections must be established before collecting primary data.