In this seminar, Professor Jenny Parkes shares reflections on some of the ethical challenges and dilemmas encountered when researching violence with young people.

While there has been a huge growth in research on violence against children and violence against women, few publications report on the ways in which research teams have addressed ethical issues, though the risks of harm to participants may be high. In this seminar, we draw on experiences in research projects from diverse contexts, mainly in the global south, with varying designs, methodologies, and partnerships. We will explore issues relating to research relationships as ‘safe spaces’ for young people; child protection and safeguarding; researcher safety; and who benefits. Informed by feminist and decolonial critical inquiry, our reflections engage with questions about power, silencing and violence.

Jenny Parkes is a Professor in Education, Gender and International Development in the Centre for Education and International Development (CEID), at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society. Her work on young people and violence has involved multiple collaborations, including most recently the Contexts of Violence in Adolescence Cohort Study (CoVAC), a research partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a violence prevention NGO, Raising Voices, in Uganda.