Effective research is essential for addressing femicide, family, and intimate partner homicide. However, researchers face major challenges in accessing complete and representative data, limiting how diverse social identities and experiences are understood and addressed.

This paper presents a critical reflection from four researchers in Australia, Canada, and the UK, highlighting the unintended consequences of data gaps, including the misrepresentation of structural inequalities and intersectional identities. They also examine the emotional toll of this work, including vicarious trauma, and the strategies they use to manage it.

They call for a rethinking of data collection goals and stronger collaboration between researchers, those involved in data collection, and violence prevention stakeholders to improve research quality, prevention efforts, and safety for all involved.