Decentering ableism in gender based violence (GBV) research using co-creative arts-based approaches

Worldwide rates of gender-based violence (GBV) perpetrated by the state, community, family, carers, and intimate partners against people/persons with disabilities (PWD) exceed those without disabilities (Van Der Heijden et.al, 2019). Despite disability affecting 16% of the world's population, efforts to research, prevent and respond to GBV rarely address the issue of GBV against PWD, and programmes designed to support PWD rarely pay attention to GBV. While increasing rates of violence during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to greater recognition that GBV has a disproportionate impact on PWD, there is a lack of data and understanding about the nature and drivers of this violence (Van Der Heijden et.al, 2019). Recent research on interventions addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG) with disabilities highlighted the methodological barriers to developing a robust evidence base on GBV against PWD, finding the most common methods used for collecting data on GBV ill-suited to capturing the experiences of PWD (Banks et.al., 2022; Palm & Le Roux, 2023). Without fully understanding how PWD experience GBV and the barriers they encounter when reporting and seeking support, existing GBV interventions will fail to prevent abuse and create structural, normative, and environmental obstacles for PWD. This project will research GBV against PWD in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) in South Africa (SA) using survivor and disabilities-centred methods. SA was selected as it has one of the highest levels of GBV outside war zones, and KZN-province is where this violence is most endemic. GBV affecting PWD in SA is particularly acute due to racial injustice, deepened inequality, and marginalisation, all exacerbated by COVID-19. Our research objectives are: To understand the nature of GBV experienced by PWD in KZN after COVID-19. To explore how different identity characteristics (e.g., religion, race, gender, type of disability) intersect with contextual variables (e.g., poverty, geographical location, unemployment) to contribute to PWDs' vulnerability to GBV. To highlight the lived experiences of GBV-survivors with disabilities using co-creative arts-based methods. To explore the structural challenges that survivors with disabilities encounter in reporting and accessing support for GBV. To develop training and intervention guidelines for working with PWD in GBV research and service delivery. We will adopt an intersectional approach to capture the diversity of PWDs: including different types of disability and all genders, to interrogate how gender and disability shape violence across diverse cohorts' lives. We will use creative, participatory, and arts-based methodologies (PhotoVOICE 2.0 and body mapping) to enable PWD to act as co-researchers in the study. By partnering with the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Afrique Rehabilitation and Research Consultants (ARRC), an organisation for PWD, having co-investigators with disabilities and including PWD as co-researchers, we will ensure that PWD are at the centre of this study. The data co-produced with PWD will help challenge the root causes of, and improve responses to, GBV. Our project will connect those working on GBV and PWD in SA and globally, to share knowledge on 'what works' to address GBV against PWD. --- Banks, L. M., et.al, (2022). Adapting Disability Research Methods and Practices During COVID-19. IDS Bulletin, 53(3), 129-151. Palm, S. and Le Roux, E. (2023), A Synthesis Review of the UN Trust Fund to End VAWG with Disabilities: https://untf.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2023/03/a-synthesis-review-of-the-un-trust-funds-special-funding-window-on-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-with-disabilities Van der Heijden, et.al, 2019. Ethical considerations for disability-inclusive GBV research. Global Public Health, 14(5), pp.737-749.