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Paper short abstract

Reaching and recruiting participants from hidden and heterogenous populations such as victim-survivors of GBV is challenging. The paper presents an approach that is trauma-aware and appears to be effective.

Paper long abstract

Conducting ethical and effective research on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is more critical than ever. Yet traditional community-embedded recruitment methods can struggle to reach diverse participants, particularly in fragmented or digitally-mediated contexts, risking the reinforcement of knowledge gaps around the most marginalized experiences. This paper addresses this methodological challenge, arguing that the principles of relationality and trauma-aware practice must begin not at the interview, but at the point of recruitment.

Drawing on a research study on sexual violence experiences in higher education settings, this paper presents an innovative, online-first recruitment framework designed for highly sensitive topics. The approach integrates four key elements: combining passive and active outreach, providing a transparent information hub, simplifying expressions of interest, and ensuring structured, respectful communication with every potential participant. This relational framework proved highly effective, enabling the researchers to connect with a diverse sample that included individuals who had never previously disclosed their experiences of sexual violence to anyone.

For development scholars and practitioners, this methodology offers a crucial contribution to the field’s emerging directions. It offers a practical, adaptable, and resource-efficient model for reaching beyond the usual gatekeepers and service-user populations, and seeks engagements with how this might (or might not) be put into practice in diverse settings with multiple constraints. The paper seeks reflections for applying this relational framework across different development contexts, ensuring our methods evolve to meet the complex realities of the current conjuncture.