When it comes to intimate partner and gender-based violence, co-research refers to collaborative efforts of both survivors with lived experiences and researchers who work together to create research that is relevant and actionable, resulting in tangible changes in the community.
Here of some examples of how co-research was used in intimate partner and gender-based violence research:
My Story, My Way – British Columbia, Canada
“My Story, My Way” is an art based, participatory project, understanding the experiences of women and gender diverse communities in British Columbia. This project emphasized the importance of improving understanding amongst healthcare professionals about trauma-informed care and helped to develop health policies to integrate survivor voices.
Read more about the project here.
SafeLives Pioneers – United Kingdom
Survivor Voices Pathways Forward is a program in the United Kingdom created by SafeLives, a domestic abuse charity. This charity worked with survivors as researchers, also known as “Experts by Experience” who were able to share their experiences. These group of experts came together to name themselves the SafeLives Pioneers, coming together to share their experiences to be able to change the world. Their voices inform all that SafeLives does, and together, are hoping to transform United Kingdom’s policy against domestic abuse.
Read more about the project here.
Weaving Our Wisdom – United States
A group of Latina and Indigenous women who were survivors, social workers and academics came together in a co-research initiative that used art, poetry and community-based interviews to explore healing from intimate partner and gender-based violence. The results of this project were the creation of culturally relevant intimate partner and gender-based violence materials. This project also helped to influence training curriculums for counsellors and shelters, and validated non-western approaches to healing, which is critical to taking an intersectional approach to intimate partner and gender-based violence research.
Read more about the project here.
