Ethical considerations are detrimental when it comes to conducting research. Details such as the protection of participants, data privacy, consent, and a lack of bias are several aspects to be implemented when performing a study. In more severe cases, researchers encounter situations in which harmful actions are observed.
In this instance, an ethical dilemma is exemplified on whether the researchers intervene or have a secondary role of observers and witnesses who will further implement the acquired data in the article for more accurate results. One topic in which such observations have occurred is child abuse. The current paper argues that it is a moral duty to report the endangerment of vulnerable individuals despite the potential disruptions to the process required for the study to be finalized.
The level of involvement of researchers in the interactions they observe is a controversial topic. It can be argued that direct engagement harms the natural findings generated and later included in the final paper. As such, articles are essential in providing reliable data and information; minimizing their potential can lead to negative results. Nonetheless, there is a duty to interfere when one’s life, well-being, or wishes are compromised (Winkler, 2019).
When it comes to children in particular, they are vulnerable to domestic abuse, and the lack of resources they can access to address it generates a need for outside assistance. Reliable sources support the notion of being involved in the intervention of the maltreatment of minors due to the severity of such phenomena (Mathews, 2022). Even though the primary duty of a researcher is to receive valid data, the ethical context prevails when someone’s life or health is hindered.
Research implies moral concerns and principles, so one must interfere in situations where a child’s safety is at stake. The dilemma between selecting to obtain data and mediating directly can only have the resolution in which human life and dignity are at the forefront. This is especially true for vulnerable demographics who cannot often speak for themselves or access help.
References
Mathews, B. (2022). Legal duties of researchers to protect participants in child maltreatment surveys: Advancing Legal Epidemiology. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 45(2). Web.
Winkler, E. C. (2019). Do researchers in empirical ethics studies have a duty to act upon their findings? Case study in end-of-life decision making. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 14(5), 438–440. Web.
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