The Interview
Tell us about yourself and how you came to be a part of the SVRI.
particularly patriarchal violence, or the violence driven by gender inequality. The Forum is a space that is like a festival of learning, a space where we all come together to share, connect, and learn. Our last meeting was in September 2022 in Cancun in Mexico and brought together over 1000 folks from around the world.
Elizabeth: I came to South Africa in 1993. I've been journeying through various different careers and have never really decided what I wanted to be when I grow up. So, I'm still on that journey. But at the moment, my journey to what I want to be doing in the world is really to address the injustice in the world and to work on acknowledging that I, as a white woman, have so much privilege and access to resources that so many people haven't had in their lives, and really recognising that deep inequity in the world. I have been learning where I best fit and where I can add value. I started with SVRI 2006. It was first established in 2003, on the shoulders of incredible women that recognise the real difference in the way in which research resources were shared and dispersed from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries. Most of those resources are still sitting in high-income countries, whereas low- and middle- income countries, like us in South Africa, really have the highest burden but have the least resources. I wanted to better understand what works and what doesn't. Our aim and vision are to really advance knowledge on how to build better programmes for women survivors in low- and middle-income countries to prevent and respond to violence against women The SVRI recently had its 7th forum in Cancun Mexico, what was the purpose of this forum , and more importantly what were some of the key highlights? Elizabeth: We are big on promoting partnerships, the SVRI forum is where we bring the field together every two years, to address this issue of violence and
Bringing the narrative back home, how does the outcome of the forum impact South Africa?
Elizabeth: We work around building evidence and provide annual grants which are channeled through our Knowledge Hub. SVRI has a membership of over 8000 people with resources and activities within the field. As a network, we showcase evidence-based work that highlights successes and learnings from a South African and global perspective. You talk about evidence-based work in relation to GBV, how do the SVRI forum and those outside the forum get access to these findings? Elizabeth: We provide an online learning platform, where we roll out a free course called the Pathways for Research Impact, for anyone wanting to know how we ensure that the research findings make a difference. We also have a course on violence against children measurement and tools, which I think is really incredibly important. If we can't define it, we can't measure it. What existing tools can we use for gathering good data and how do we measure it? Good data is so important to influence and inform advocacy campaigns, and policymaking, and make decisions on areas we need to invest in more. In South Africa, we have a very high burden. We also have a course looking at wellness and care, and collective care within organisations.
Dec 2022 | Collective Action Magazine
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