Neighborhood Method

A lack of representative data on gender based violence (GBV) has prevented humanitarian aid and human rights communities from being able to identify what community characteristics and interventions are effective at preventing GBV. The shortcomings of present GBV data sources have been explored through a series of compelling studies conducted by the CPC Network. Network partners have led an effort to use an innovative research methodology known as the ‘neighborhood method’ to gather population-based data on rape and other forms of GBV in a variety countries recovering from conflict.

Designed to access local knowledge by tapping into informal sources of information, the neighborhood method operates on the assumption that people know when their neighbors have been raped or beaten and that ordinary individuals can serve as sources of information about other people in their neighborhoods. Specifically, the method surveys women about their own experience, their sisters’ experiences, and their neighbors’ experiences.

Key Resources

Measuring Violence Against Women Amidst War and Displacement in Northern Uganda Using the ‘Neighborhood Method’

This study sought to establish incidence rates for gender-based violence in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in Northern Uganda.

Incidence of Violence against Women and Girls in Liberia: A Quantitative Study using the Neighborhood Method

This report presents findings from a population survey conducted in Liberia in 2007 to quantify the magnitude of violence against women and girls in IRC's operational areas.

Using the Neighborhood Method to Measure Violence and Rape in Ethiopia

This report presents the findings from the use of the Neighborhood Method to measure incidents of violence against women and girls in two Somali refugee camps and one of the surrounding host communities.

Measuring the Incidence and Reporting of Violence against Women and Girls in Liberia

This article reports on the use of a “neighborhood method” to measure the nature and incidence of violence against women and girls in post-conflict Liberia.

Resource Citations

Parcesepe, A., Stark, L., Roberts, L., Boothby, N. Measuring Physical and Sexual Violence Against Somali Refugees Using the Neighborhood Method. Violence Against Women, (in press).

Stark, L., Warner, A., Lehman, H., Boothby, N., Ager, A. (2013). Measuring the incidence and reporting of violence against women and girls in Liberia using the “Neighborhood Method”. Conflict and Health, 7(1):20.

Stark, L., Roberts, L., Acham, A., Boothby, N., Ager, A. (2010). Measuring violence against women amidst war and displacement in northern Uganda. The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 64(12):1056-61.