In addition to informing policies and health interventions, the WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women presents a model for research that is methodologically rigorous and yields information that can be directly applied to violence-prevention activities. To help others undertake similar research, PATH and WHO have produced an additional resource, Researching Violence Against Women: A Practical Guide for Researchers and Activists.

The guide draws on the experience of researchers from more than 40 countries and presents methods for performing surveys and qualitative research on gender-based violence in low-resource settings. It covers all aspects of the research process, from study design to training field workers. It also describes ways to use findings to influence decision-makers. Most important, it presents clear guidelines for protecting the safety of women participating in the research.