Photovoice is a research methodology based on art in which participants reveal their realities through photography. The term "photovoice" encapsulates the central idea of this method – giving voice to individual or collective experiences through photos.
In qualitative research, it is a tool that empowers and empowers its participants, as they choose what to photograph and when. For researchers, it provides access to the participant's perspective on the phenomenon under study, even that of more vulnerable population groups, as it is accessible to anyone capable of taking a photograph, regardless of their ability to read or write (Wang & Burris, 1997).
In the ReGHID Project (Redressing Gendered Health Inequalities of Displaced Women and Girls), this methodology is applied and developed in Manaus, Amazonas, under the coordination of Bruna Curcio, who organizes and develops the methodology with groups of Venezuelan migrant women indigenous and non-indigenous.
After a few meetings with preparatory activities, such as discussions on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), activities to consider photography as language/narrative, and a training workshop on digital photography for compact cameras, participants are provided with cameras for which they will be responsible for an agreed-upon period, usually between 10 and 14 days. During this period, participants are willing to capture photographs that answer the question: What do I want policymakers to know about the challenges of SRH in the lives of migrant women?
For the following meeting, the women must select 2 photos that will be presented to the group along with an explanation of what the photo represents. The group is encouraged to discuss and share personal perceptions and experiences. This is known as the "focus group".
The photographs and their respective testimonies, along with the analysis of the collected data and a list of practical recommendations to improve the conditions of SRH for migrants, make up one of the project's products, the photo book "Moving Forward: Health, care, and violence seen through the eyes of displaced Venezuelan women in Brazil".
Learn more about the book by clicking here.
Pictures by Aline Fidelix and Laryssa Gaynet
