Violence against children, the voices of Ugandan ... - Raising Voices

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INTRODUCTIONBackgroundAlthough the United Nation’s Convention on theRights of the Child (UNCRC) clearly articulates,in Article 19, the state’s responsibility to protectchildren from all forms of violence, it is widelyacknowledged that globally little of that obligationhas been translated into practice. Furthermore,until recently, there was no coordinated globaleffort to consolidate the information on children’sexperiences of violence against them. However as aresult of the discussions during the United NationsGeneral Assembly’s Special Session (UNGASS) in2000 and 2001, the Secretary General of the UnitedNations (UN) appointed a special rapporteur toinvestigate this situation in early 2003. A multicountrystudy to define and measure the extent ofthe problem is currently underway.In Uganda, the situation is not much different. Littleis known about children’s perspectives on the natureand extent of the violence used against them. Evenless is known about who perpetrates the violence,where children most commonly experience it, andwhat children believe ought to be done about it.Consequently, many of the responses to violenceagainst children tend to be ad hoc and sometimeseven counterproductive. It was in response to thissituation, Raising Voices and Save the Childrenin Uganda undertook this study. It will, we hopecontribute to generating momentum for discussionof how to respond to the dearth of information andinfrastructure and inspire action.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to generate credibleinformation that will enable the creation of effectiveinterventions for the prevention of violence againstchildren. The study aims to understand howand why violence against children continues tooccur, so that the information generated can beused to design programs, develop policies, andinspire further similar research towards creating ameaningful response to the problem.It does not attempt to delve into a detailed analysisof mechanisms of and motives for perpetratingviolence and recognises that the analysis, out ofnecessity, will remain at a broad level. The work ofthe study resolves into two broad questions:What are children’s experiences of violenceagainst them?The exploration of this question begins with aninvestigation of how children conceptualise theviolence against them, the nature of that violence,how often it happens, who perpetrates it, where itoccurs, and what they think should be done about it.Why do adults perpetrate violence againstchildren?The exploration to this question begins with aninvestigation of how adults conceptualise violenceagainst children, the nature of the violence theyperpetrate against children, how often theyperpetrate it, who they perpetrate it against, andwhat they think should be done about it.2Part One Research Design
PARTICIPANTSA total of 1406 children (719 girls and 687 boys)and 1093 adults (520 women and 573 men)participated in this study. These participantsrepresent a broad range of backgrounds, includingchildren 8 to 18 years old, children in school andout of school, parents, teachers, and variouscommunity leaders. It was assumed that all adultshad interactions with children and that most ofthem were also parents (see Tables 1.1 and 1.2).ApacA district in the northern part of Uganda that oftenserves as the first relatively safe haven from thearea of conflict further north. It has several internallydisplaced persons (IDP) camps and is spread outover 6488 square km. It has a population of 454,504most of whom speak Luo. Almost 90 percent ofthe population is spread out in rural areas and theremaining 10 percent clustered around Apac town. 1IgangaA semi urban district with large section of thepopulation living near the main highway to the eastof Uganda and further on to Kenya. It is relativelyaccessible from Kampala and as a result has regularcommercial thoroughfare. It has a population of692,000 spread out over an area of 6435 squarekm. Two languages are spoken widely in this area,Luganda and Lusoga.KaseseA western district, near the border with DemocraticRepublic of Congo (DRC). It has diverse geographicfeatures including Lake Edward and RwenzoriMountains. Most of the population is spread outAt the time of the study, participants lived in oneof five districts in Uganda: Apac, Iganga, Kasese,Nakapiripirit, and Wakiso. These districts representa variety of perspectives and priorities. They wereselected primarily based on their geographicdiversity, and for the existing infrastructure thatcould support implementation of the project,accessibility to participants, and safety of theresearchers. These districts represent culturaldiversity, and a combination of urban, semi-urban,and rural perspectives.in rural areas and involved in agricultural as well asindustrial activities. The main languages spokeninclude Lhukonzo and Lutoro although in borderareas with DRC, Kiswahili is also spoken. It has apopulation of 343,600.NakapiripiritSituated in the far Eastern corner of Ugandabordering Kenya, Nakapiripirit is sparsely populatedand predominantly rural. This is one of the leastdeveloped districts in Uganda with low literacy ratesamong adults. The population is mainly Karimojongand the Pokot who are predominantly pastoralists.The last available estimates of population puts thefigure at approximately 41,000 spread out over anarea of 2712 square km.WakisoBordering Kampala, this is a district with a complexboundary and relatively densely packed populationof 562,609 people in 2723 square km. It has goodroad connections to Kampala and includes an urbancentre of Entebbe as well as outlying rural areas.Most people speak Luganda and are involved in adiverse range of economic activity including fishingand agriculture.1This and all other information about size and population of districts extracted from Uganda Districts Information Handbook (2002), compiled by Mugisha Odrek RwabwoogoPart One Research Design3
Page 1 and 2: ViolenceAgainstChildrenThe Voices o
Page 3 and 4: ViolenceAgainstChildrenThe Voices o
Page 5 and 6: DedicationThis work is dedicated to
Page 7 and 8: TABLES1.1 Children consulted throug
Page 9 and 10: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThis study examine
Page 11 and 12: a new dimension to the adult-child
Page 13: PART ONEResearch DesignPURPOSE OF S
Page 17 and 18: METHODOLOGYData CollectionThe resea
Page 19 and 20: Through this process, two interesti
Page 21 and 22: Children’s VoicesWhat do you unde
Page 23 and 24: esearch.Children’s Conception of
Page 25: It was recognized during the format
Page 28 and 29: QUESTION 1Have you experienced viol
Page 30 and 31: QUESTION 2Have you experienced phys
Page 32 and 33: Children’s VoicesHave you experie
Page 34 and 35: QUESTION 3Have you experienced emot
Page 38 and 39: QUESTION 4Have you experienced sexu
Page 42 and 43: QUESTION 5Have you experienced econ
Page 46 and 47: QUESTION 6Who commits violence agai
Page 48 and 49: Children’s VoicesKey Informant In
Page 50 and 51: QUESTION 7How do you feel when viol
Page 52 and 53: Children’s VoicesHow do you feel
Page 54 and 55: Children’s VoicesYou feel ashamed
Page 56 and 57: QUESTION 8What do you do when viole
Page 58 and 59: Children’s VoicesWhat do you do w
Page 60 and 61: QUESTION 9What, if anything, should
Page 62 and 63: Children’s VoicesWhat, if anythin
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Children’s VoicesSensitize elders
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KEY FINDINGSMore than 90 percent of
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PART THREEAdults’ Rationale for V
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QUESTION 1Are children punished in
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Adults’ VoicesCulturally, we watc
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of being reported to higher authori
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QUESTION 3How often do you punish c
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Adults’ VoicesHow often do you pu
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In what ways do you punish children
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Adults’ VoicesIn what ways do you
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In interviews, many teachers admitt
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Adults’ Voicestimes, I feel happy
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I know beating her has not changed
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QUESTION 7Are there ways in which a
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Adults’ VoicesAre there ways in w
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QUESTION 8What should be done when
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Adults’ VoicesWhat should be done
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6. Adults believe in a hierarchy of
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PART FOURRecommendationsWHAT WOULD
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violence. The legislation should in
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3.6 RESEARCHCommission research tha
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5.9 COMMUNITY SENSITISATIONIntroduc
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Part Four Recommendations101
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