Henny Slegh is a Promundo representative in the Great Lakes region of Africa and coordinator of the IMAGES Survey (International Men and Gender Equality Survey) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this moving report, she presents us with some reflections on fieldwork in war contexts.
Today we were stopped when we were heading to the rural areas where we will carry out the qualitative research. A colonel had been killed in an ambush the day before and so we were unable to reach the villages. We stopped 8km after the city of Goma, where we saw a huge plot of land full of people looking for shelter.
Upon entering the place, the four of us on the research team were immediately surrounded by several men, women and children, dressed in rags, soaked and dirty from the rain and dust from the volcano. They are watching us and looking, in a mix of despair and hope, as if to say: the muzungu always came, maybe help will arrive soon.
I felt small, ashamed, guilty, anguished and absolutely powerless: who am I to come here to do research? I don't want data, questionnaires, I want to help and stop this crazy world where humans violate humans through war and withholding or through the refusal of help and assistance.
But I had nothing to offer, just myself, at that moment, sharing and being human with men and women who lived like animals.
Notes from Henny, Goma, June 10, 2012
Researching in contexts of conflict and poverty is a huge challenge. The fieldwork notes that I reproduce above illustrate some of the difficulties we encountered: ethical and moral issues. Being a witness to extreme human suffering, collecting data from terrible stories and not being able to respond, offer help, food, health services, financial support is a tremendous challenge.
In an informal refugee camp, we met a woman: Rebecca. Her husband had been killed by the Mai Mai – an extremely violent Congolese rebel group – in response to infiltration by the M23 (a rebel group made up of Congolese Tutsis that is allegedly supported by Rwanda). Rebecca had tried to escape with her five children, but was raped by a group of five men. Although she was seriously injured, she managed to walk for two days until she reached the field, near Goma. She had a high fever and took my hand and placed it on her chest. I felt like my sternum was broken.
There was no medical assistance in the camp, no type of support, because the authorities declared that there was no type of internal conflict in the North Kivu region. The Congolese do not attack other Congolese: the problems are caused by the Rwandans, who are waging war. The UN could not act either, as there was no request from the Congolese authorities. Rebecca was waiting for a sign from God and asked me: please help me.
As time passed, the sadness and helplessness we felt turned into anger and determination to organize assistance and support. We tried to mobilize humanitarian assistance for several women we encountered. We contacted the UN networks in Goma, which resulted in a series of friendly email exchanges but, unfortunately, no action on the ground.
In this short testimony, I will not elaborate on the political dynamics that created this context, but I would like to describe a little of the reality we found, a raw reality that is often barely visible in our data reports and recommendations.
I have no doubt about the importance of the reports and articles we produced, which seek to change policies and draw attention to the effects of conflicts on the lives of men and women, families and gender relations. The IMAGES study revealed some of the negative impacts of conflict and poverty on gender relations: disempowerment of men and women, trauma and loss that often fuels new violence, as we describe in our report ( IMAGES Democratic Republic of the Congo, preliminary results, 2012 ) .
In this testimony, I share with you some of the stories not covered in the report, including some difficult questions that remain unanswered. Can we work in conflict contexts in a way that does not harm but serves the population? What should we do in situations of extreme social and political injustice? How do the people involved in the research reflect on the questionnaire they are applying in a conflict context?
I asked all 55 research assistants, all Congolese men and women, to write a short report about their experiences during the administration of the questionnaires: challenges, difficulties, feedback from participants and general opinion about the study.
Most of them reported experiences very similar to those described in my field notes: they heard terrible stories, they felt shocked and shaken by so much suffering of men and women in their own country, suffering not only caused by the most recent wave of political conflict but also due to poverty and various forms of gender-based violence.
Most assistants received positive feedback from questionnaire respondents. Men and women said they were grateful for the research assistants' visits, were pleased with the time and space in which they told their stories, and appreciated being heard and talking to people who showed concern, empathy, and understanding. However, the majority of those interviewed asked assistants to return with help.
“The questions show that you understand what we are suffering. We need help''.
Most of the assistants also revealed that the participants declared that the questionnaire had helped them to rethink violent behaviors that they had previously considered normal. Others said the questionnaire had allowed them to share serious health problems and receive advice on how to access health and care services. Some of those interviewed had never heard of women's rights, because they thought that women's submission was something natural, derived from the fact that they were women. Despite feeling that the violence was not fair, the questions helped them realize that they were right: it is not fair, but abusive.
Some of the male respondents stated that they had never realized that their sexual acts were perceived as harmful by women: they believed it was their right and duty to show dominance and masculinity.
The assistants described the research process as training: they felt empowered, with new skills and knowledge that allowed them to understand the problems of their people. They were determined that change was possible whenever people have the opportunity to talk and share problems. Some assistants revealed that the questionnaire had opened their eyes to the negative effects of gender and ethnic differences. They also highlighted the need to respect all people, regardless of gender and ethnicity.
“It also opened my eyes about my behavior at home, when I heard other men’s responses. I thought: I also do the same, but now I know it's bad. I went home and apologized to my wife for being so cruel.” (male research assistant)
It is difficult to draw definitive conclusions from these reflections. They all demonstrate the positive and negative effects of doing research in this type of context and, in my opinion, we should consider them as important information for conducting IMAGES. A questionnaire like IMAGES is more than a data collection instrument. It is also a collection of images: realities, stories, it is an intervention that calls for the sharing of humanity, it is an awareness campaign and training in gender equality.
Coordinating IMAGES in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a personal experience filled with despair, horror, as well as friendship, empathy and deep respect for the strength of the men and women I encountered.
Testimonials from research assistants:
“We would like to show our gratitude to Promundo/Sonke for trusting in our abilities as data collection assistants and for providing us with skills that allowed us to listen to our people”.
“It was very difficult to talk and listen to these people and not have anything to offer them, like food or money.”
“We hope that Promundo/Sonke informs the international community that we need peace and support to stop the violence and extreme violations of our people.”
“Many people asked us to come back and help them: we hope that Promundo/Sonke will return and organize interventions that can really help these people”.
“We are very grateful to have received a visit from a polite man who listened to us and treated us with respect. We realize that forcing women to have sex can have very negative consequences for them. We hope that there will be more meetings like these and that they will help us to change”.
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