SURVEY FOR RELATIVES OF WOMEN KILLED BY MALE VIOLENCE
Information Sheet
The following survey has been put together by Killed Women, a campaigning organisation and network for the bereaved families of women killed by men, and is being hosted by Ipsos UK, an independent research organisation.
Before you decide whether to take part, we would like you to understand why this survey has been commissioned, and what your participation involves.
We send our condolences, love and solidarity to you in your loss, and affirm our commitment to change.
PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY
The purpose of this survey is to try to understand better the experiences of families who have lost a female relative to male violence. In particular we want to learn more about the care and support received from, and the overall performance of, public services and agencies (for example the police, social care or the criminal justice system). This survey has been developed through consultation both with bereaved families and with professionals from the Violence Against Women and Girls sector. The findings of it will help inform the organisation Killed Women’s work and campaigning, as part of a broader consultation process.
WHY HAVE I BEEN ASKED TO TAKE PART?
We are inviting the relatives of women killed by men to complete this survey. It is for families where there has been a criminal conviction for their relative’s death (or relatives’ deaths), or a finding of ‘unlawful killing’ at inquest. You are invited you to take part so that we can better understand the lived experience of relatives.
We know that this survey does not cover all issues and circumstances, but we intend this to be just the beginning of Killed Women’s ongoing outreach to bereaved families. We know there are many families who have lost loved ones following either a suicide or a suspicious or unexplained death, but where there has been no homicide conviction or finding of unlawful death. This is an extremely important area of research for us. Killed Women feel the specific experiences and trauma faced by families that have lost a loved one in this way require particular consideration, which we aim to focus on and campaign about in the near future.
If you would like either to discuss this or for us to try and find alternative ways of including your experiences, please get in touch with Killed Women by emailing info@killedwomen.org.
WHAT DOES TAKING PART INVOLVE?
We are inviting you to participate in a survey which will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. The survey is composed of a mixture of: Yes and No questions; questions that require a rating; and questions that allow for further information to be shared by you. Questions will be about: your relative and the crime committed, and the perpetrator; your experiences with services and agencies (for example the police, social services, the CPS, support services), and the legal process; others involved, including children; and other priorities.
We will not ask you for details about the nature of the homicide(s) or the injuries sustained.
The information collected in this survey is intended to be used by Killed Women as part of our campaigning and work. We may use anonymous quotes or comments from the testimony you provide, in the press or in publications that we put out. It will not be possible to identify a particular individual in any published materials.
You only need to answer the questions you want to. This survey is an opportunity for you to talk about the positive service and support you might have received after your loss, and also the areas that you think need improvement.
We have tried to make this survey as encompassing and inclusive as possible – but we know we may have missed something. If any of the questions don’t cover your experience, we apologise. There is a space at the end for any further details that you might like to add.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF TAKING PART?
The study will not benefit you individually. However, we believe the voices of families impacted by these crimes are instrumental in improving safety and justice for women. We hope that the findings from this survey will help Killed Women to understand better the experiences of a broad cohort of families and relatives. This will assist us in campaigning effectively for societal change that better protects women, ensures justice for victims, and improves the rights and support for bereaved families.
Your involvement will enable Killed Women to hear your views and experiences, and to gain a greater awareness of what needs to change.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE RISKS OR DISADVANTAGES IN TAKING PART?
You will be asked to give up some of your time to take part. We also know that completing this survey may be difficult. It will be asking you questions about the loss of a loved one and you may find some of it upsetting; we want you to be prepared for that before you decide to participate. Please prioritise your wellbeing and only participate if you feel you are able to. This survey is entirely voluntary – you can stop and exit the survey at any time before the end, although please be aware that you will lose any answers you have already provided if you do so.
We have included some contact details from our website on https://www.killedwomen.org/useful-links that might be helpful if you feel you need extra support. You can also find these details on the Support Services page – there is a link at the bottom of the survey.
If you feel you might need some extra welfare support in order to complete the survey, please email us on info@killedwomen.org and we will be able to connect you to the support providers.
WHAT IF THERE IS A PROBLEM?
If you have concerns about any aspect of this survey, please feel free to make direct contact with Killed Women by emailing info@killedwomen.org and we will do our best to answer your questions.
WILL MY INFORMATION BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL?
Yes. All data will be treated confidentially and processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, accessible on our website at https://www.killedwomen.org/privacypolicy. Ipsos UK are hosting the survey on our behalf and are not authorised to use any of the information submitted via the survey for their own purposes.
We would like to assure you that all the information we collect will be stored securely and will only be used for the purposes outlined above.
This is an anonymous survey. In completing it, please do not include identifying names of individuals. All identifying elements will be deleted.
In the survey we ask you to submit your contact details if you would like to join the Killed Women network and mailing list. Your contact details will be stored separately from your survey response, to keep the survey anonymous. Your contact details will be stored in line with our Privacy Policy, accessible on our website at https://www.killedwomen.org/privacypolicy.
Once submitted, your rights to access, change or move your information provided through the survey are limited, as we need to manage your information in specific ways for the research to be reliable and accurate. If you withdraw from the survey, we will keep the information about you that we have already obtained. To safeguard your rights, we will use the minimum personally identifiable information possible.
CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE AND FURTHER INFORMATION IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND AND WOULD LIKE TO OPT OUT
If you wish to consent to participate, please specify clearly by selecting the Yes option. You will then continue to the survey.
If you change your mind about taking part, you can opt out at any time before the survey is submitted. You do not have to give a reason.
Whilst completing the survey, you are also free to choose not to answer a particular question if you do not wish to.
ARE THERE ANY CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH CONFIDENTIALITY WOULD BE BROKEN?
Yes. Confidentiality will be strictly adhered to, unless we are legally obliged otherwise, or you disclose information that identifies you and leads us to believe that yourself or someone else might be at immediate risk of serious harm. In that instance we may have to contact the relevant authorities without obtaining your consent.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY?
The overall findings from this survey will be collated into a report, which will be published. It will not be possible to identify a particular individual in any published materials.