Information for Participants
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in participating in this research project. The information on this page will provide you with further details about the project, so that you can decide if you would like to take part in this research.
Please take the time to read this information carefully. You may contact us here to ask questions about anything you don’t understand or want to know more about.
Your participation is voluntary. If you don’t wish to take part, you don’t have to. If you begin participating, you can also stop at any time up until your data has been de-identified.
What is this research about?
This research is looking at people’s experiences of street-based harassment in Victoria and New South Wales. ‘Street harassment’ refers to a broad range of behaviours that occur in public spaces (such as on the street, public transport, shopping centres, and licensed venues). It can include actions such as cat-calling or verbal comments, wolf-whistling, staring or leering, following someone or unwanted touching. Street harassment can also happen on the basis of someone’s gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, or disability.
For this project, we are interested in talking to people about their self-defined experiences of street harassment. We want to know about the types of things you’ve experienced across your life and how those experiences have impacted you. We also want to know how people who have experienced street harassment would like it to be responded to. The project looks at how people who have experienced street harassment understand the concept of ‘justice’, and what types of things you would like to happen to feel as though ‘justice’ has been achieved in response to your experiences.
What will I be asked to do?
Should you agree to participate you would be asked to do two things. Firstly, you would be given an individual link to a Google map. Only you and the responsible researcher will have access to the map. Before taking part in the interview, you would be asked to ‘map’ your experiences of street harassment on the Google map. Should you decide to take part, you will be provided with further instructions on how to do this. If you would prefer, you can also hand draw your own map instead. The mapping exercise should take around an hour to complete, however it may take shorter or longer just depending on how much detail you decide to go into.
You would then be asked to take part in a one-on-one interview about your experiences of street harassment, your understandings of ‘justice’, and the types of responses you would like to see introduced to help people achieve justice in response to street harassment. The interview will also use your map as a starting point for our conversation.
The interview will be audio recorded with your consent. You will be able to decide whether you would like to complete the interview in person, or by Skype. The interview should take between 1-2hours to complete.
What are the possible benefits?
Street harassment is a very common and often-harmful experience. However, it is rarely responded to through policy or legislation. This research aims to understand how people who have experienced street harassment would like it to be responded to, so that this information can be used to inform the development of any responses. Participating in an interview also provides the opportunity for you to share your expertise as someone who has lived experienced of street harassment.
Participants will be reimbursed with a $100 Coles/Myer gift voucher in recognition of your contribution, expertise and time.
What are the possible risks?
Talking about your experiences of street harassment has the potential to cause emotional or psychological distress. If you feel that talking about your experiences is likely to be particularly upsetting or distressing, it is recommended that you do not participate in this project. Should you feel upset or distressed at any time before, during or after the interview, it is strongly recommended that you make contact with an appropriate support service. Contact details for some free services are provided at the end of this document. Should you feel extremely upset or distressed during the interview, Dr Fileborn will have contact details on hand for a crisis support service. You can also stop participation at any time.
You have also been provided with a copy of the interview themes to help you decide whether or not you would like to participate. You will be able to let me know at the beginning of the interview if there are any topics you do not want to discuss. Responding to the interview questions is voluntary. If there is anything asked during the interview that you would prefer not to discuss, please let the interviewer know and we can move on to the next question.
The research team will take all possible steps to ensure that your identity remains anonymous. You will be referred to by a pseudonym in any publications from this project, and we will remove any details that could be used to identify you, such as dates and locations. However, it is important to recognise that because only a small number of people are participating in this research, it is possible that someone could still identify you even after these steps have been taken.
Do I have to take part?
No. Participation is completely voluntary. You are able to withdraw at any time, until your interview data has been de-identified.
Will I hear about the results of this project?
A final report will be produced that summarises the results of this project. If you would like to receive a copy of the report, please indicate this on your consent form and provide your preferred contact email. Outputs from the project will also be published on the project website [web address to be inserted here when available].
What will happen to information about me?
Your information will be stored on a secure server in password protected files at the University of Melbourne. Only the research team will have access to your data. Any hardcopy documents produced from this project will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in Dr Fileborn’s office. Your contact information (such as name and email address) will not be linked to your interview or Google map data in any way.
Who is funding this project?
This project is funded by the Australian Research Council.
Where can I get further information?
If you would like more information about the project, please contact the researchers;
Dr Bianca Fileborn
Email: biancaf@unimelb.edu.au
Ph: +61 3 8344 2916
Who can I contact if I have any concerns about the project?
This research project has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of The University of Melbourne. If you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of this research project, which you do not wish to discuss with the research team, you should contact the Manager, Human Research Ethics, Research Ethics and Integrity, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010. Tel: +61 3 8344 2073 or Email: HumanEthics-complaints@unimelb.edu.au. All complaints will be treated confidentially. In any correspondence please provide the name of the research team or the name or ethics ID number of the research project.
Support services
If you feel upset or distressed after your interview (or at any other time), please contact a service such as the following: