Addressing gender-based violence (GBV) presents complex challenges that require innovative, evidence-based solutions. However, research methodologies often become disconnected from the realities of the communities they aim to serve, leading to interventions that fail to address their specific needs. Drawing from the experience of Mapa do Acolhimento—a Brazilian nonprofit supporting GBV survivors through a nationwide volunteer network and custom-built feminist technology—this article explores the critical importance of aligning research with daily practice. We emphasize the need for continuous collaboration between researchers and frontline practitioners to ensure that solutions are both relevant and effective.

At Mapa do Acolhimento, our ability to scale programs and deliver more effective solutions for GBV survivors in Brazil is a direct result of a co-constructed process involving practitioners, funders, and researchers. Initially incubated by Nossas—a Brazilian nonprofit that works to strengthen the democracy in Brazil, advocating for climate, racial, and gender justice—Mapa do Acolhimento responded to an urgent need for qualified services to tackle GBV in Brazil. Despite Brazil’s robust legal framework, significant challenges remain in its implementation. For example, 78 percent of femicide victims had at some point sought assistance from public services.

From its inception, Mapa do Acolhimento has been critical in addressing these gaps, creating a nationwide solidarity network, helping tackle the short term need, using cutting edge technology that allows to instantly connect women who suffered GBV with volunteer psychologists and/or lawyers who provide their services free of charge, supporting over 19,000 women through a 15,000 volunteer network. And, also, impacting GBV-related public services, helping tackle the medium/long term need, using collective action and cooperation with governmental institutions to safeguard and improve existing public service infrastructures that support GBV survivors at great scale.

How conducting research with GBV survivors can improve institutional response

Research conducted with survivors supported by Mapa do Acolhimento has provided valuable insights into the effectiveness of services delivered by professional volunteers. These services have proven crucial in helping women break the cycle of violence. One key finding is that the organization’s interventions significantly contribute to both social and personal improvements in the lives of these women, positively impacting their mental and relational health. The support helps survivors understand their needs and develop the tools necessary for self-care. Volunteers also view their involvement with Mapa do Acolhimento as highly meaningful, attributing to it substantial social and humanitarian value, and recognizing its importance for their personal and professional growth.

Beyond highlighting the positive outcomes for survivors and the volunteers who support them, the research identified critical gaps in governmental assistance for GBV survivors in Brazil. From the direct perspective of survivors, more than 25% of interviewees who sought help from public services or institutions reported feeling as if they had to “beg for help,” underscoring the inefficiencies within these systems in addressing GBV cases alone.

In response to these findings, we developed recommendations aimed at enhancing governmental responses to GBV. These include the urgent need to establish institutional public policies for GBV capacity-building, training first responders in specialized services on theoretical approaches and best practices—particularly in legal and healthcare settings—and implementing robust data collection and KPI systems to monitor and evaluate survivors’ experiences. Such measures could lead to substantial improvements in the quality and effectiveness of public services dedicated to GBV.

This research has enabled Mapa do Acolhimento to scale its efforts and refine its strategy. We are now collaborating directly with governmental entities and partnering with institutions to strengthen public services for GBV survivors, fostering systemic change on a larger scale. Our initiatives include training first responders who support survivors on the ground and providing technical training for policymakers to enhance and expand public policies aimed at supporting women.

With a clearer understanding of our role within Brazil’s gender ecosystem and increased legitimacy in addressing GBV, we have expanded our institutional capacity to work at scale. This expansion involves supporting the implementation of public policies for women while sustaining our volunteer solidarity network, which continues to offer direct support to women on a daily basis. We have come to understand that these two elements—public policy and grassroots support—are essential to creating lasting change.

Bridging research and practice to create impact on the ground

While research is a powerful tool for change, it often remains disconnected from the lived realities of those it aims to benefit. This gap can lead to solutions that are misaligned with real-world challenges. Mapa do Acolhimento’s journey demonstrates that bridging this divide is essential for ensuring that research drives meaningful and sustainable impact. The organization’s ability to scale its impact across Brazil was only possible through close collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and funders, working hand in hand to translate insights into action.

A common oversight in research is failing to empower practitioners—not only by equipping them with research methodologies but, perhaps more importantly, by fostering active listening. Frontline practitioners are deeply attuned to the ethical complexities and challenges survivors face daily. Incorporating their perspectives strengthens the research process, ensuring it remains both grounded and relevant. Adopting a feminist and intersectional approach to research is particularly critical in this context, especially when dealing with GBV in a country as huge and complex as Brazil, considering its colonial, patriarchy and racist background.

A feminist and intersectional research approach challenges the traditional top-down transfer of knowledge, recognizing that both researchers and practitioners play essential roles in shaping outcomes. This shift in power dynamics fosters a more inclusive and impactful process, ensuring that research is not just conducted on communities but with and for them. True impact requires continuous and reciprocal collaboration throughout the entire research process, rather than treating practitioners as passive subjects of study. By embracing an intersectional perspective, this approach integrates ethical considerations, diverse experiences, and practical knowledge into every stage of the project.

Finally, securing dedicated funding for research is crucial, not only to gather strategic data and formulate hypotheses but also to create the institutional capacity needed to implement findings effectively, so they can actually serve the community. Investing in research strengthens an organization’s ability to attract further funding, scaling impact beyond the initial study phase.

Mapa do Acolhimento’s experience shows that when research is conducted thoughtfully and collaboratively, it generates impact on the ground. It becomes a win-win scenario for funders, practitioners, researchers, and, most importantly, the women we serve.

This blog was written by Ana El Kadri, Programs Director at Mapa do Acolhimento.

Mapa do Acolhimento is an organisation dedicated to providing support for survivors of violence throughout Brazil through a network of volunteer psychologists and lawyers. They received an SVRI Grant in 2020 to conduct research on the effects of pro bono psychological and legal support provided for survivors of gender-based violence through their national network of volunteers. To know more about their research project, check out their presentation at the SVRI Forum 2022 and their project report.