Defending Dignity A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights EXERCISES Residents in a rural village claim that pesticides from a nearby factory settlement are polluting their water sources and affecting their health. What would be the pros and cons of each method for collecting data to investigate this claim? Which would you suggest using? A. Convene focus groups and ask participants in-depth questions about the quality of water in their community and the health of their families (before and after the factory opened). B. Survey households about water quality and health (before and after the factory opened). C. Sample water sources used by the community and measure pollutant levels. D. Examine hospital records and record the number of patients suffering from waterborne diseases (before and after the factory opened). E. Use the results from a recently published scientific study in a nearby city to estimate the degree to which pesticides run-off contributes to increased levels of water pollution. You decide to conduct a survey on the degree to which pesticides contribute to water pollution. How would you improve the following questions? 1. What is the main source of water used by your household for drinking, cooking and hand washing? 2. How often do you treat your water to make it safe to drink? Sometimes Often Frequently 3. In the past month, has a member of your household suffered from any form of disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms? 4. The use of pesticides by factories near the Ariel Settlement has not impacted on members of my household’s health. Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING Data Center (2004), Power to the People – Participatory Research Kit: Creating Surveys Land et al (2012), #ICT4HR: ICT for Human Rights RCU, 10 Step Guide to Questionnaire Design; available at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=53mASVzGRF4 Responsible Data Forum, Data and Marginalized Communities: Questions to Ask Frequently, available at https://responsibledata.io/forums/data-andmarginalised-communities/ Tools4Dev, How to Design Survey Forms for Quick Data Entry, available at www. tools4dev.org/resources/how-to-design-surveys-and-forms-for-quick-data-entry/ WITNESS, Tip Sheet: Using Video for Human Rights Documentation, available at www.witness.org WITNESS, Activists’ Guide to Archiving Video, available at http://archiveguide. witness.org/ 82