Boa Vista - IOM, the United Nations Migration Agency, starts this month real-time monitoring interviews of gender-related risks for Venezuelan refugee and migrant girls and women. The study is being jointly conducted with Queens University, Canada, and, besides Brazil, it will also be implemented in Ecuador and Peru. In Brazil, the research will take place in the Northern Region, in the cities of Boa Vista, Pacaraima, and Manaus.

In order to improve the safety, dignity, and well-being, including sexual and reproductive health, of those who have left Venezuela, the study aims to identify the risks faced by girls and women and how they occur, in order to improve violence prevention strategies.

The data collection will be done simultaneously in all three countries over a ten week period using Spryng.io's SenseMaking application. The estimation is to reach 3,500 refugees and migrants to collect experiences. Prior to the start of the survey, the interviewer teams undertook a three-day training session to prepare for the approach to the questions and handling of situations that may arise in the field.

To identify gender sensitive points, the participants will be asked to share, in an anonymous way, the experience of being a Venezuelan refugee or migrant woman. The tool allows the interviewee to analyze the events through a series of pre-defined questions. This data will be quantified by the program to generate comprehensive perspectives on the different themes.

The study allows responses from any refugee or migrant person aged 14 or older, and also allows interviews with men and boys who want to tell women's migration stories, which are the focus of the project.

According to IOM's Protection Coordinator Giulia Camporez, the study will allow to identify the specific causes of gender-based violence, enabling the improvement of humanitarian response.

"With this research, we will safely and confidentially detect trends and stories of gender-based violence that could go unnoticed, without exposing victims to further trauma.  Through the use of the app, we hope to better understand the experiences, perspectives of survivors, and barriers to assistance, such as access to justice, health care system, and psychosocial support, of Venezuelan refugees and migrants," reports Camporez.

The survey takes 10 to 20 minutes and aims to reach women of various ages, ethnicities, and types of residence, among other questions. After collecting the data, the study will determine which services are most needed by refugee and migrant women and where they can be most accessible within the migration context.

The monitoring study is financially supported by Elrha's Humanitarian Innovation Fund.