Critical elements of interviewer training for engaging children and adolescents in global violence research: Best practices and lessons learned from the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS)

The Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) are national surveys that provide population-based estimates of lifetime prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual violence (among girls and boys) as well as risk and protective factors for victimization and perpetration. Due to the sensitivity of interviewing youth age 13 to 24 on violence, there are important precautions and protections that interviewers must understand and implement.

These strategies help ensure the quality of the data while maintaining respondent safety and encouraging disclosure of violence. The white paper is intended to provide the field with additional, detailed information about methodological approaches to implementation and training that are driven by critical ethical and safety considerations.