Sexual abuse is a difficult topic to navigate and is not widely understood. Numerous efforts are currently being made to combat sexual violence in the broadest sense. This includes policy development efforts to address root causes; strengthening international and national criminal codes relating to sexual violence; processes for investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating sexual assault; providing adequate redress mechanisms. However, there is no universal view of what makes an act sexual, and there is no universal view of what makes an act of violence an act of sexual violence. National or international laws, protocols, or policies regarding sexual assault do not explain or provide guidance on what survivors may consider a sexual act or an act of sexual assault.
In order to find out in detail what exactly is sexual violence, it is necessary to determine the methodology for researching this topic. An important condition is to work with people for whom this topic is intimate and secret. This specifies that in addition to efficiency research must be guided by moral standards as well (Beauregard & Chopin, 2021). Based on such motives, it is necessary to gradually reveal the essence and tools of the study. First of all, it is necessary to prepare documentation constituting the normative and terminological base. The guiding principles of international criminal law will be used as a tool for carrying out bureaucratic activities. The guidelines need to be clear when the acts of sexual violence described in the documents constitute international crimes (Beauregard & Chopin, 2021). This is necessary for the possibility of international criminal prosecution of these acts. Secondly, key principles need to be developed for those responsible for formulating policies on sexual violence. Finally, it is necessary to characterize sexual violence in any of its manifestations as an ongoing conflict between individuals. The Hague Principles on Sexual Violence should serve as the main vector.
Stages
The first stage of the study is to conduct an extensive desk review of the use of the term “sexual” in various codifications of sexual violence in national and international criminal laws. This process will lead to the realization that no national or international laws, protocols or policies regarding sexual violence explain or provide clear guidance on what survivors may consider a “sexual act” or “act of sexual violence” (Thomas, 2019). In order to collect information from a wide range of stakeholders, human rights defenders, experts and the general public, as well as to collect examples of specific acts of sexual violence from different cultures, an online survey should be created.
This important aspect needs to be distributed on the Internet as widely as possible, affecting a huge number of potential audiences. The survey should be available in different states, which determines the need for its compilation in several languages. Respondents will be presented with several questions about the nature of what makes violence “sexual” (Thomas, 2019). Several of these questions should be open-ended, allowing respondents to include more information and personal opinions on specific topics related to the questions. Respondents will be asked to provide their name, country of origin and contact information, but anonymous responses are also welcome.
The next step will be to partner with various national and local civil society organizations to consult with survivors of sexual violence. The selection of countries for consultation will be based on several criteria. First, it is necessary to identify countries that have a known history of combating or publicizing sexual abuse, either recent or ongoing (Thomas, 2019). The second criterion assesses the feasibility of organizing such consultations, including the safety of survivors, as well as the safety and availability of local partners able to conduct consultations. The main goal of this step is to ensure geographic and cultural diversity.
It is logical to assume that the vast majority of potential respondents and the victim will be female. This can be explained by the general statistics of the World Health Organization, which notes that it is women who are most often subject to sexual abuse or violence. However, it must be emphasized that it is not only the female sex that faces such problems. To ensure that the voices of male survivors are also heard, it is necessary to work with local NGO partners to conduct consultations specifically designed to gather the voices of male survivors. To encourage a broad and varied range of responses, participants should be asked to provide illustrative examples of “any form of sexual violence” through open-ended dialogue (Beauregard & Chopin, 2021). This will allow participants to discuss the issue without any preconceived definitions that could limit the discussion.
Ethics
As mentioned above, it is necessary to observe ethical standards during this study. As such, participants must remain anonymous for all interactions. This anonymity, combined with an open dialogue style, will encourage open and honest discussions. It is envisaged that in the course of the study, new information may appear that has not previously appeared in the official data, which is of an extremely cruel or humiliating nature (Beauregard & Chopin, 2021). Therefore, it is necessary to completely avoid the possibility of discrediting the individual in the eyes of both the public and researchers. The open and anonymous nature of consultations is an important factor in allowing survivors to disclose the wide range of sexual abuse they have experienced, witnessed or heard about.
Survivors will not be asked to openly share their personal stories or experiences, but rather offered to share whatever information they wish, personal or general. In several consultations, participants may decide to share their own experience or the experience of others they know, which should be considered as a separate layer of information (Beauregard & Chopin, 2021). However, for the most part, other discussions will be left behind at a more general level. During consultations and discussions, survivors should be given access to psychological support.
After consultations, participants should be given credit for their time and the contribution of their opinions should be clarified. This will be one of the tools that will provide both psychological support and explain the value of an individual’s courageous act. Further, all the information received will be updated monthly, processed by narrow specialists (Thomas, 2019). In addition, all participants in surveys and studies will be familiarized with the final conclusions and data in order to avoid inconsistencies or omissions.
Conclusion
Sexual violence in any of its manifestations is a complex phenomenon that needs to be analyzed comprehensively. One of the complicating factors is the intimacy and bias of this topic, which makes it difficult for researchers to get access to information. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a methodology for activities in this area in such a way that it allows to make the study as effective and objective as possible, at the same time without violating ethical standards.
References
Beauregard, E. and Chopin, J. (2021). Elderly sexual abuse. Theory, research, and practice. Taylor & Francis.
Thomas, L. E. (2019). An exploration into the psychotherapeutic needs of males who have been sexually abused by their biological mother in Australia. A qualitative descriptive study. University of Canberra.