Fear and Foe
Fearing strangers is a simple emotion to understand and sympathize with, but considering the same strangers as foe requires thinking deeply and assessing one’s actions.
There can be hostility on certain occasions and it can make one curious and uncomfortable at the same time. Our field team has experienced discomfort and unwelcoming stares from villages on many occasions but once the team explains their agenda and reasoning, their reservations are put to ease this was one such experience where we were practically rushed out of the village, almost on our hands and knees.
The village was, as is often the case, remote – 3 to 5 kilometers drive from the nearest road. Coming in we were met with stares, our guide, a local ASHA, told us that outsiders were rare.
We did consider this odd and had our guards up. The villagers followed us around, tense, listening carefully to what we were saying in our unfamiliar accents.
Our study - based on sexual and reproductive health - was very sensitive and required us to talk to young adolescents in groups by themselves. This did not sit well with the villagers who made it very clear, despite prior permissions, support from ASHA workers, and the Mukhiya (the decision-maker, elected by the gram sabha or village government in India).
Our field teams have extensive experience in handling such situations and explaining the studies’ importance to parents while also being well-trained to talk about such sensitive issues with kids and adults alike.
But no amount of persuasion helped our case. Our team eventually conducted a quick group discussion with a couple of adolescents of willing parents. As we saw a crowd, not out of inquisitiveness but rather some rage, gathered around us, we left the village with some people behind us to make sure we didn’t come back.
“Why were we met with so much hostility?” We asked the ASHA, the Mukhiya, and a few friendly respondents.
Turns out, there were cases of child kidnapping and rumors of outsiders luring children away from a neighboring village, and harvesting their organs.
We as strangers and ‘outsiders’ wanting to speak with a group of young children, were walking red flags who had unknowingly triggered the villagers.
For institutional review boards, the ethics are clear – you go to a village, you get informed consent, tell the respondent the risks and benefits, talk to the respondent privately so that they are not ostracized for their views and then you leave. We followed these best practices and more, going ahead and talking to the ASHA and Mukhiya, explaining our study, and gaining their support. But the backlash still happened.
Lesson: It is important to build faith and take the localities in confidence to collect data from a place that is skeptical about strangers based on their experience.