Increasing disclosure of school-related gender-based violence: lessons from a systematic review of data collection methods and existing survey research

BACKGROUND: School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) includes sexual, physical or psychological violence occurring in and around schools often perpetrated by teachers or peers. In this review, we focus on studies comparing how data collection methodologies affect children’s disclosures of SRGBV. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review, searching nine databases for studies from high, middle and low-income countries using search terms related to violence, disclosure and data collection methodology. Records were initially screened by abstract and then full-texts were retrieved and data from eligible reports extracted. In this paper, we draw on results from this larger systematic review highlighting studies conducted with children which either collected data in schools or asked about violence in schools. We also describe methods compared and results of studies that were not conducted in schools, but that included children and young people. Finally, we describe how multi-country nationally representative surveys conducted in at least one low and middle-income country measure children’s experiences of SRGBV. RESULTS: We screened 28,780 records, of which fourteen are included in this article. Only four studies compared data collection methodologies in schools or about violence in schools. These showed a 0 to more than 500-percent variation in the prevalence of violence measured using different data collection methodologies. An additional ten studies which were not conducted in schools, examined disclosure of violence in children and young people that was not specifically school-related. We assessed five multi-country national surveys that measured SRGBV. This limited evidence suggests that methods allowing increased anonymity (e.g. audio computer assisted self-interview, online surveys) may result in higher disclosure of violence, including SRGBV, than face-to-face interviewing. No studies included reported on safety, experiences of young people, or the costs of different methods. Multi-country national surveys used self-completion methods if completed in schools or face-to-face interviewing if completed in households, to measure SRGBV. CONCLUSION: Evidence on the impact of data collection method on SRGBV disclosure is limited, however current prevalence of SRGBV in international surveys used to monitor SDG progress may be underestimated due to data collection methods used. Further research on SRGBV should aim to test the effects of data collection methodology on the disclosure of violence. Efforts to improve the measurement of SRGBV is central to understanding the epidemiology, monitoring changes, and developing school and community-based programs as well as policies to prevent and respond to SRGBV.