CONF Seminar Series: Lindsay Stark (Columbia University)

Sabanci University

Conflict Analysis and Resolution Seminar Series I

Measuring Gender Based Violence Amidst War

and Displacement - The Neighborhood Methods

by

Lindsay Stark

Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

                             8 October 2009 Thursday

                                     FASS 1102

Abstract: Although documentation of individual incidents of human rights violations can serve a valuable role in advocacy and in prosecution it seldom provides a reliable basis for assessing the scale of such violations. Such measures of incidence are crucial for gauging appropriate response and for evaluating the impact of interventions.

This presentation describes the development of a methodology - the 'neighborhood method' - over a period of two years across settings in Northern Uganda, Liberia, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka. This has led to credible estimates of various forms of gender-based violence being identified in these contexts. Plans to develop this and related methodologies to address a wider range of human rights violations - including those specified for the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism for Security Council Resolution 1612 - are outlined.