4 July 2023, Bratislava
Slovak National Centre for Human Rights organized an intensive knowledge sharing seminar in field research and data collection about traumatic experience. SNCHR organized the seminar in the framework of the project „Collecting data about sexual harassment for advocacy and reporting to regional mechanisms by NHRIs co-funded by the ENNHRI Small Grants Mechanism.
To reflect on various knowledge and experience level of participants, programme included introduction of ethical principles and human rights approach in research, legal definition of sexual abuse and how it translates into the research design, recommendations of how to avoid re-traumatization and how to respond to it in the field, personal stories of researchers about setting their own boundaries and self-care and also interactive role play activity reflecting possible scenarios while conducting surveys and practical guidelines for administrators.
Recommendations and observations from the field shared by experienced researchers allowed SNCHR to equip administrators responsible for data collection with necessary information and tools to implement the project activities. At the same time, the seminar allowed deeper discussion and knowledge sharing about the current challenges in qualitative and quantitative research of sexual harassment, gender-based violence, sexual abuse, loss of home and safety. Social scientist Veronika Valkovičová shared her expertise in the principles of ethical research in the domain of gender-based violence. Barbora Holubová who has sixteen years of experience in the field of applied social research, among others also with the implementation of the first representative studies on sexual harassment in 2006-2007, opened discussion about sensitive topics such as sexual education in schools, sexual orientation, or access to reproductive health in Slovakia. Furthermore, sociologist Martina Zboroňová contributed additional insights derived from her recent research experience in monitoring access to sexual reproductive care for women fleeing Ukraine and analyst specializing in educational policies, Alexandra Ostertágová, shared her expertise on research concerning the availability and quality of sexual education.
SNCHR has also used this unique opportunity to gain the insight of researchers and activists on what are the knowledge and data gaps in research focusing in harassment on specific fields, how may NHRIs join the efforts to gain the data about sexual harassment and abuse and what role the national human rights organizations such as SNCHR could play in it.
The legal framework is part of the starting points for the investigation of sexual harassment and sexualized violence. Mgr. Veronika Michelčíková, as a lawyer in SNCHR, provides legal support to victims of discrimination or sexual harassment in anti-discrimination disputes and during the seminar, she elucidated the legal framework governing protection against sexual harassment.
The seminar concluded with a workshop about potential conflict situations that may arise in collecting data on sexual harassment facilitated by Michaela Ujházyová, an analyst specializing in access to economic and social rights.
Suggestions collected during the seminar together with experience from research implementation will be shared at the webinar and publication which could assist NHRIs in their own research activities.