Uganda Country Report
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MAKING JUSTICE WORK FOR WOMEN Uganda Country Report LUCY FISKE & RITA SHACKEL Making Transitional Justice Work for Women: Rights, Resilience, and Responses to Violence Against Women in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Northern Uganda, and Kenya IN CONJUNCTION WITH MAKING JUSTICE WORK FOR WOMEN Uganda Country Report Lucy Fiske and Rita Shackel Making Transitional Justice Work for Women: Rights, Resilience, and Responses to Violence Against Women in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Northern Uganda, and Kenya August 2016 i Funded by: Australian Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade In collaboration with: Action Aid Australia Action Aid DRC Action Aid Uganda Action Aid Kenya © 2016 Lucy Fiske University of Technology Sydney PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007 Australia CRICOS Number: 00099F [email protected] © 2016 Rita Shackel The University of Sydney Camperdown NSW 2006 Australia CRICOS Number: 00026A [email protected] This publication was made possible through the Australian Development Research Awards Scheme, a programme that supports primary research to improve the quality and effectiveness of Australian aid in developing countries. DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, or the Australian Government. © Cover image: The cover design is of a textile pattern from Kampala Fair, a Uganda-based clothing shop that uses locally-sourced fabrics. The cover design was done by Judy Zhu. All maps adapted from Free Vector Maps. ii Acknowledgements This report would not have been possible without the generous support of many people and organisations who gave freely of their time and expertise. We would like to thank the team at Action Aid Uganda, who have been integral partners from inception to conclusion – in particular, Arthur Larok (Country Director), Nickson Ogwal (Director, Partnership Funding and Sponsorship), and Hellen Malinga (Women’s Rights Coordinator), for their input in designing the research, facilitating the fieldwork, and ensuring all logistics throughout the last two-and-a-half years. We would also like to thank Loy Adepit, Hope Masika, Josephine Laker, Kevin Aciro, Mercy Achiro, David Abwang, and David Okwii for excellent research collaboration in the field, introduction to their networks, and generous hosting of us several times during the project. In Australia, we would like to thank Carol Angir (Senior Program Co-ordinator – Addressing Violence Against Women), Casey McCowan (Partnership Coordinator), and Michelle Higelin (Deputy Executive Director). The team at Action Aid initiated the research project, and have collaborated with us closely throughout the project; their passion for women’s rights in conflict-affected societies, knowledge of the country environments, and determination to “make it happen,” are unsurpassed. Thank you also to Lara Warren, AVID Volunteer, whose timely stewardship of fieldwork and transcripts was very much appreciated. Many people have contributed to this project in a range of ways – from transcribing interviews, organising databases, conducting literature reviews, setting up NVivo, and the multitude of tasks necessary to ensure successful completion. The many research assistants, interns, and volunteers who assisted on this project are listed in Appendix A. We are grateful to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Kampala office), Uganda’s Department of Public Prosecutions, FIDA Uganda, the Refugee Law Project, Uganda High Court International Crimes Division, the Justice and Reconciliation Project, the Women’s Advocacy Network, Worudet, and Uganda Police Pader District for sharing their thoughts and insights with us. We acknowledge in particular, Ms Joan Kagezi, Head Prosecutor of the International Crimes Division, who was killed on March 30, 2015, and who worked tirelessly to uphold justice in Uganda. This research would not have been possible without the generous financial support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (through the Australian Development Research Awards), and for the Department’s ongoing interest in the project. Finally, the authors wish to thank the women of northern Uganda, who shared their opinions, experiences, and feelings with us. We are grateful for your openness and trust in us, and hope that this report makes a contribution to improving access to justice for all women in northern Uganda. iii MAKING JUSTICE WORK FOR WOMEN IN UGANDA LIST OF ACRONYMS ....................................................................................................................... V CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ................................................................ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT .................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PROJECT METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2.2 The research questions .......................................................................................................... 2 1.2.3 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER 2: THE CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND TO CONFLICT AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE IN NORTHERN UGANDA .............................................................. 15 2.1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................. 15 2.2 THE ACHOLI ................................................................................................................................ 17 2.3 THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE AND THE CIVIL WAR ...................................................................... 18 2.4 THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVEMENT (HSM) AND THE LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY (LRA) ............... 19 2.5 CIVILIAN ABUSE, DISPLACEMENT AND THE PROLONGED, SCORCHED EARTH NATURE OF THE CONFLICT, COMPLICATED BY REGIONAL DYNAMICS ........................................................................ 19 2.6 THE FAILED 1994 PEACE TALKS AND THE RESULTING ESCALATION OF ABDUCTIONS AND TERROR ............................................................................................................................................. 20 2.7 THE CAMPS .................................................................................................................................. 21 2.8 CATTLE, LAND, OIL AND WIDOWS ............................................................................................... 23 2.9 OPERATION IRON FIST AND THE END OF SUDAN’S SUPPORT FOR THE LRA ............................... 23 2.10 THE JUBA PEACE PROCESS, THE AFTERMATH AND TODAY ....................................................... 24 2.10.1 Agenda item 2 – Comprehensive Solutions ....................................................................... 24 2.10.2 Agenda item 3 – Accountability and Reconciliation ......................................................... 25 2.11 WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN THE TALKS ................................................................................. 26 2.12 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER 3: UGANDAN WOMEN SPEAK TO JUSTICE ......................................................... 28 JUSTICE HELPS WOMEN TO STAND FIRM WITHOUT ANY FEAR IN THEIR HOMES. .... 28 3.1 THE RESEARCH FOCUS ................................................................................................................ 28 3.2 GENDER IN CONTEXT IN NORTHERN UGANDA: A NEW KIND OF WAR ........................................ 28 3.3 “CAMP LIFE” ............................................................................................................................... 28 3.4 ALL WORK AND NO POWER ......................................................................................................... 30 3.5 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: ANOTHER WAR… ................................................................................... 31 3.6 A DEEP RIFT ................................................................................................................................. 33 3.7 THE FUTURE GENERATION .......................................................................................................... 35 3.8 NEVER AGAIN .............................................................................................................................. 36 3.9 ACCESS TO JUSTICE ..................................................................................................................... 37 3.10 CLAIMING POWER ..................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 4: LEGACIES OF CAMP LIFE ................................................................................... 40 4.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 40 4.2 “CAMP LIFE” ............................................................................................................................... 40 4.2.1 Conditions and experiences in camps ................................................................................