The document outlines a longitudinal research program, GAGE, focused on gender-based violence (GBV) against adolescents in the Global South, providing insights on how gender attitudes and norms change over time. It highlights findings from various countries, such as declining corporal punishment yet rising sexual violence among older adolescents, and the complexities of gender norms and practices like female genital mutilation/cutting. Key conclusions emphasize the importance of longitudinal methods for understanding violence trends, age differences, and the value of triangulating data with caregivers for a comprehensive understanding of adolescents' experiences.

1. Exploring temporalities in gender-based violence against
adolescent girls through longitudinal research
Megan Devonald, June 2024

2. Outline of Presentation
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024
1
• Overview: GAGE research
2
•Conceptual framing
3
•Cross-country methodological examples
4
• Conclusions

3. Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE):
A longitudinal research programme in the Global South (2015-2026)
By finding out ‘what works,’ for whom,
where and why, we can better support
adolescent girls and boys to maximise
their capabilities now and in the future
We are following 20,000 adolescent girls and boys - the largest
cohort of adolescents in the Global South

5. Longitudinal methods to study adolescence
• Provide critical insight into how gender attitudes and norms change overtime (Baird et al., 2021,
and help unpack complex drivers of violence and experiences of violence.
Longitudinal data has powerful analytical potential for researching GBV.
• Longitudinal research helps us to understand trajectories. The inclusion of time and change allows
focus on processes not just outcomes and captures diversity and complexity (Bidart, 2013; Morrow
& and Crivello, 2015), and compares what young people say and what they actually do (Thomson,
2007).
It is important for understanding temporality and processes.
• Interventions can be very effective at this time. Longitudinal research can help identify key patterns
and points in time that can be used to inform policy and programming (Balvin & Banati, 2017; Fadyl
et al., 2017) and key moments for gender norm change (Rivett & Loveday, 2021).
Adolescence: a “Window of opportunity” and a time of heightened risks including GBV.
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024

6. Age differences in experiences of age- and gender-based violence
Declines in teacher violence between Round 2 and Round 3, adolescents,
Ethiopia
• Across all countries, we found decline overtime in corporal punishment in school and home.
• At first glance could be seen as a ‘good news story’ but qualitative interviews highlight that this is
due to their increased age rather than a shift in norms and reduced prevalence.
• Older adolescents face less corporal violence than younger adolescents, and qualitatively we see
different types of violence emerging.
• For example, experiences of sexual violence increased for both adolescent girls and young women.
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024
Ever experienced sexual violence between Round 2 and
Round 3, Ethiopia
R2 R3
Adolescent girls Young women
R2 R3

7. Silent reporting on violence: learning from previous rounds
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024
Baseline
In Rohingya camps in Cox’s
Bazar Bangladesh, only 3%
of older girls reported ever
experiencing sexual
violence/ rape or sexual
abuse but nearly a fifth of
girls (19%) and a quarter of
boys (23%) reporting
having witnessed a rape.
Baseline
Qualitative findings
indicate the figures of
reporting witnessing likely
to be more accurate
indicator or girls’
experiences.
Midline
Respondents could silently
report experiences of
sexual violence, through
choosing either a happy
face or a sad face and place
it in an envelope that was
not to be opened until later
that evening.
Midline
Using this technique, the
survey found that sexual
violence is very common
among Rohingya
communities in the camps
of Cox’s Bazar. One-quarter
(25%) of adolescent girls,
44% of young women, 18%
of adolescent boys and 33%
of young men admitted to
unwanted sexual contact.

8. Disclosing violence
• Our longitudinal approach also increased
rapport between the participants and the
interviewers, especially during
participatory research. This resulted in
participants being more open to talk
about violence throughout the study.
• In Jordan, one Syrian girl who married at
15, and later got a divorce, only spoke
about violence from her husband in-
depth during the most recent interview.
• Participation in the research programme
also helped her gain the confidence to
get a divorce.
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024
“He was also the kind who hit and was angry
all the time…I started feeling ashamed of
people around us, I was always beaten up. [It
happened] ever since the engagement” (20-
year-old Syrian young women, Jordan, round
4, 2022)
“I feel upset. Like, for example, when me and my
husband fight, or when I miss my family,
because I’m away from them” (18-year-old
Syrian young women, Jordan, round 2, 2020)

9. Triangulation with caregivers to fill in the silences
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024
“He took her to his relative’s place and
when she did not come home, we started
searching for her. We did not take the
case to court because the family of the
rapist sent elders and we are also close to
their neighbors. Then we got reconciled
and tied the Nika but my daughter did not
want to have the Nika. She completed
hated him and told us she did not want to
live with him in the future” (Interview
with her mother, Dire Dawa Ethioipia).
“He brought and I didn’t think that he
will do such a bad thing. When he
brought, I said I drink Coca-Cola and he
was also drinking Fanta. Then that’s it. I
don’t remember. I only remember when
I become conscious”
(Interview with Adolescent girl, Dire
Dawa, Ethiopia)

10. Unpacking complexities around shifts in FGM/C norms
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024
 In Ethiopia, over 25 million girls and women
who have experienced FGM/C (UNICEF,
2020) but the age at which the practice is
carried out, by whom, and the type of the
practice varies significantly by geography and
ethnic group.
 Most girls in Afar and Somali region undergo
Type 3 which is the most invasive form, and
can involve infibulation (Endale et al., 2022).
 Type 3 often results in a lifetime of pain and
trauma and is often linked to other forms of
violence such as forced sex and defibulation
(Endale et al., 2022).

11. Unpacking complexities around shifts in FGM/C norms
 Baseline interviews suggested that as awareness of
the associated harms of FGM/C was increasing
through efforts by faith leaders, NGOs and the
government, there was a growing shift from the more
invasive type 3 to less invasive forms of the practice.
 During midline interviews
 Refined probes and questions based on greater
understanding of the variations in the practice in
different communities
 Greater rapport with participants
 Recognition that while there were some changes,
these were much more incremental than first
thought and that any gains in terms of harm
reduction were limited. This also underscored
how entrenched the social norms underpinning
the practice are.
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024

12. Hayat: shifting agency in context of emotional violence
‘He [father] is afraid, for example, that
the experience of the past will be
repeated … I am strong and I am not
afraid and can rely on myself in case
anything happens, or any danger occurs.’
(16-year-old Palestinian girl, Lebanon,
Round 1)
‘
I was in a relationship with that person. He
destroyed my dreams…I feel that at times he
doesn't want me to be a successful person. I was
thinking of going to an organisation, he refused.
I said fine and didn't go.’ (17-year-old Palestinian
girl, Lebanon, Round 2)
‘He says, if we marry, it is normal for me to go out, it is my right.
My mother told him that I want to complete my education. He has
said that he too has no problem and he wants me to study. This is
basically our condition. He does for me the things that I dream
about and cannot do at my parent's home. My parents accept it, as
he’s my husband now.’ (18-year-old Palestinian young woman from
Ein el-Hilweh camp, Round 3)
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024

13. Conclusions
1
• Longitudinal methods can provide unique insights into gender-based violence,
through highlighting how changing norms and aging can shape experiences.
2
• Longitudinal methods can also provide a learning experience, helping researchers to
adapt tools and surveys that can more accurately capture the prevalence of violence,
in sensitive contexts.
3
• Attention should be paid to age differences, when looking at trends in violence over
time, as declines may be related to age-based differences rather than a reduced
prevalence.
4
• Triangulation with caregivers can provide a fuller picture of adolescents’ experiences
of gender-based violence, especially when discussing traumatic experiences.

14. References
 Balvin N., Banati P. (2017). The adolescent brain. A second window of opportunity – a compendium. UNICEF. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/933-
the-adolescent-brain-a-second-window-of-opportunity-a-compendium.html
 Baird, S., Camfield, L., Ghimire, A., Abu Hamad, B., Jones, N., Pincock, K. and Woldehanna, T. (2021) ‘Intersectionality as a Framework for Understanding
Adolescent Vulnerabilities in Low and Middle Income Countries: Expanding Our Commitment to Leave No One Behind’ The European Journal of
Development Research (https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-021-00440-x)
 Bidart C. (2013). What does time imply? The contribution of longitudinal methods to the analysis of the life course. Time & Society, 22(2), 254–273.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X12447493
 Endale, K., Jones, N., Presler-Marshall, E., Woldehanna, T., Yadete, W., Abdisalam, A., Alemu, A., Gebeyehu, Y., Gezahegne, K., Murha, R., Neumeister, E.,
Tesfaye, A., Tilahun, K. and Workneh, F. (2022) Exploring the patterning and drivers of FGM/C and child marriage in pastoralist Ethiopia: Baseline report
from Afar and Somali regions. Report. London: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence. (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/exploring-the-
patterning-and-drivers-of-fgm-c-and-child-marriage-in-pastoralist-ethiopia-baseline-report-from-afar-and-somali-regions/)
 Fadyl J. K., Channon A., Theadom A., McPherson K. M., the TBI experiences research Group (2017). Optimising qualitative longitudinal analysis: Insights
from a study of traumatic brain injury recovery and adaptation. Nursing Inquiry, 24(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12170
 Holland J., Thomson R., Henderson S. (2006). Qualitative longitudinal research: A discussion paper. Families and social capital ESRC research group
working Paper No. 21.
 Rivett, J., & Loveday, L. (2021). Exploring the Potential for Gender Norm Change in Adolescent Girls: Evidence from “Real Choices, Real Lives”
Longitudinal, Qualitative Study Data. in Banati, P. (ed.) Sustainable Human Development Across the Life Course. Evidence from Longitudinal Research.
Bristol: Bristol University Press.
 UNICEF (2020) A profile of female genital mutilation in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: UNICEF (https://data.unicef.org/resources/a-profile-of-female-
genital-mutilation-in-ethiopia/)
NYRIS longitudinal methodology and GBV 2024

15. Publications
WEBSITE: www.gage.odi.org
TWITTER: @GAGE_programme
FACEBOOK: GenderandAdolescence
Download the reports:
https://www.gage.odi.org/publicatio
n/exploring-the-diversity-of-fgm-c-
practices-in-ethiopia-drivers-
experiences-and-opportunities-for-
social-norm-change/
https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/safe-
is-in-the-grave-young-peoples-risk-of-
sexual-and-gender-based-violence-in-the-
rohingya-refugee-camps-in-bangladesh/
https://www.gage.odi.org/pu
blication/adolescent-bodily-
integrity-in-times-of-crisis-in-
ethiopia-evidence-from-gage-
round-3/
https://www.gage.odi.org/publication
/people-will-talk-about-her-if-she-is-
not-circumcised-exploring-the-
patterning-drivers-and-gender-norms-
around-female-genital-mutilation-in-
ethiopias-somali-region/

16. Contact Us
Megan Devonald
m.devonald.gage@odi.org.uk
gage@odi.org.uk
www.gage.odi.org
@GAGE_programme @MeganDevonald
GenderandAdolescence
@gageprogramme
Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence
(GAGE) / ODI
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