Knowledge Hub Presents - October 29, 2024
Dr. Robert Nonomura
Ethical principles and protocols are crucial for guiding gender-based violence (GBV) research. However, processes of psychological trauma and structural violence often present practical challenges not captured by ethical “best practices” or conventional research training. To address this challenge, trauma- and violence-informed (TVI) perspectives can help to guide strategies for supporting the safety of participants and researchers while also promoting their agency, well-being, equality, and dignity.
Drawing upon discussions from a working group convened by the Knowledge Hub, this webinar explores the complexities of applying TVI approaches to the ethical situations encountered by GBV intervention researchers. We will examine some thematic “tensions” in ethical decision-making that arise within the institutional and relational context of GBV interventions, and then consider how a problem-based learning approach can help prepare practitioners to navigate these tensions in real-world scenarios.
Overall, the webinar aims to open a dialogue around the possibilities for developing a TVI research ethics training module—a project which might incorporate the rich insights of current TVI practitioners and transmit this to colleagues across the GBV sector and to future researchers in the field.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this webinar, attendees will be able to:
Presenter
Dr. Robert Nonomura (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Western University. His research specializations are in social inequality, gender-based violence, knowledge mobilization, and the sociology of morality. He is a former Research Associate with the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, where he worked on projects such as the Knowledge Hub, the Learning Network, and Supporting the Health of Survivors of Family Violence in Family Law Proceedings (now “Awareness to Action”). He has also contributed to the development of trauma- and violence-informed (TVI) research ethics through book chapters such as “Social Inclusion through Trauma- and Violence-Informed Research: A Focus on Survivors of Violence” (Handbook of Social Inclusion), and the PHAC-funded report, Toward a Trauma- and Violence-Informed Research Ethics Module: Critical Considerations and Recommendations. He is currently working to develop a problem-based learning module that supports gender-based violence researchers in applying TVI approaches in navigating the ethical complexities that often arise in this work.
