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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

QUESTION 2Have you experienced physical violence?Physical Violence:Any act or interaction in which theadult aims to inflict physical pain onthe child. 4Figure 2.2 Types of physical violence experienced by children, asper sex of respondentsCaningSlappingChildren talked most readily aboutphysical violence and could offerimmediate examples of how it happenedand how often it happened. Usually, noelaboration or probing questions wererequired to elicit a detailed responseor a story about when they had lastexperienced physical violence.PinchingBurningLocking upTying upOther0MaleFemale20 40 60 80 100% of respondentsEveryone gets a slap or cane here. Sometimesyou even get it twice a day, even from differentpeople.8-year-old boy, KaseseOf the children consulted in this study, 98.3percent reported having experienced physicalviolence, such as caning, slapping, pinching,locking up, or burning. In regard to frequency, 31.1percent of children said they experienced physicalviolence at least once a week, and 15 percentsaid it happened “everyday.” 5 As to where theviolence occurred, 38.8 percent of the childrensaid they experienced physical violence mainly athome; 28.6 percent said mainly at school; and 31.8percent said at school as well as at home.Both girls and boys experienced with comparablefrequency the common forms of physical violence,such as caning and slapping. However, girls tendedto experience more of the subtle forms of physicalviolence, such as pinching or twisting of the ears,while boys (especially older boys) experiencedmore of the extreme forms of physical violence,such as burning, tying up, or severe beatings.While this difference may be an expectedconsequence of gender-based stereotypes, whenexplored in focus group discussions and interviewsmany parents linked it to the issue of bride-price.I do not want to cause scars. Who will paycattle if there are scars all over her body?female, parent, NakapiripiritDisturbingly, more than one in six childrenconsulted through the questionnaire reportedbeing burned deliberately by an adult as a formof punishment. The aim it appeared was to inflictsevere pain and leave a scar that would serve as awarning against repeating the offence. More boysreported being burned as a form of punishmentcompared to girls, possibly due to similar concernsabout scars reducing the bride-price as discussed4This is a working definition and is not meant to be comprehensive.5The term “everyday” should be understood in context. When probed, many children said that “everyday” meant it happened so frequently that it was a regular partof their life.18 Part Two Children’s Experiences
above. This also suggests that burning as a type of punishment may not necessarily be an act of rageperpetrated in a moment of extreme anger, but a calculated form of punishment with a specific aim.Out-of-school children were more likely to be locked up 6 or tied up compared to in-school children, althoughthe latter were more likely to experience other forms of violence than those specifically explored in this study(such as kneeling, slashing grass, and cleaning latrines).Despite the many teachers who repeatedthe “official policy” that they do not beatchildren, 60.4 percent of in-school childrenreported routinely being beaten andhumiliated. Most damaging to children’ssense-of-self were the random and unjustbeatings. For example, the entire classwould be beaten when some childrenwere “making noise” or children would bebeaten for coming late to school because ofexcessive work assigned at home.Figure 2.3 Types of physical violence experienced by in andout of school childrenCaningSlappingPinchingBurningLocking upTying upOut of schoolIn schoolMost children, especially those consultedthrough focus group discussions and20 40 60 80% of respondentsinterviews, tended to expect physicalviolence as a normal part of theirrelationship with adults. In journals, manychildren wrote about experiencing or witnessing physical violence several times a day. Narrative role playsbased on children’s own experiences and depicting children being caned mercilessly regularly elicited anervous laughter of recognition.Other0 100The data indicates that physical violence manifests in a variety of context-specific forms, is rampant and hasbecome normalized. Despite provoking intense feelings in children, as will be discussed later, it continues tooccur with regularity.It [violence] is too much and happens everyday and no-one cares about it.14 year-old boy, Iganga6Although locking up is aimed at instilling fear and isolation, and therefore is a form of emotional violence, it was commonly accompanied by tying upand beating and thus has been analysed in this section.Part Two Children’s Experiences 19
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 and 14: PART ONEResearch DesignPURPOSE OF S
Page 15 and 16: PARTICIPANTSA total of 1406 childre
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 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
Page 64 and 65: Children’s VoicesSensitize elders
Page 66 and 67: KEY FINDINGSMore than 90 percent of
Page 69 and 70: PART THREEAdults’ Rationale for V
Page 71 and 72: QUESTION 1Are children punished in
Page 73 and 74: Adults’ VoicesCulturally, we watc
Page 75 and 76: of being reported to higher authori
Page 77 and 78: QUESTION 3How often do you punish c
Page 79 and 80: Adults’ VoicesHow often do you pu
Page 81 and 82:
In what ways do you punish children
Page 83 and 84:
Adults’ VoicesIn what ways do you
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
In interviews, many teachers admitt
Page 91 and 92:
Adults’ Voicestimes, I feel happy
Page 93 and 94:
I know beating her has not changed
Page 95 and 96:
QUESTION 7Are there ways in which a
Page 97 and 98:
Adults’ VoicesAre there ways in w
Page 99 and 100:
QUESTION 8What should be done when
Page 101 and 102:
Adults’ VoicesWhat should be done
Page 103 and 104:
6. Adults believe in a hierarchy of
Page 105 and 106:
PART FOURRecommendationsWHAT WOULD
Page 107 and 108:
violence. The legislation should in
Page 109 and 110:
3.6 RESEARCHCommission research tha
Page 111 and 112:
5.9 COMMUNITY SENSITISATIONIntroduc
Page 113 and 114:
Part Four Recommendations101
Page 115 and 116:
Graphic Publishers Ltd, Plot 19A Na
show all

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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?