Planning a survey on violence against women

Careful planning is critical to the success of any survey or survey module on violence against women. General principles and rules for all statistical sample surveys are applicable to these specialized surveys but, in addition, specific considerations should be taken into account in order to ensure the quality and reliability of the results as well as the ethical and safe conduct of the survey throughout all phases. Topics addressed in this chapter include preparatory processes and the detailed steps required to plan such surveys in compliance with international statistical standards. Attention is given to the following steps: establishing the legal basis; consultation with stakeholders; specifying the objectives of the survey; choosing the mode of data collection; budget and timeline; establishing the organizational structure; sample design; selection of interviewers; and study protocol. The essential steps in planning a survey on violence against women are listed in table III.1. Some of the steps will be addressed in subsequent chapters.

Related Subject(s): Women and Gender Issues