REFLECTION IN ACTION: REDUCING SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN KYAKA II REFUGEE SETTLEMENT, UGANDA Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration – Peace Studies in the Faculty of Management Sciences at Durban University of Technology Atuhaire Karuhanga Pearl August 2018 Sylvia Kaye BS, MS, PhD Supervisor................................................. Date................................................ Geoff Harris BComm, Dip Ed, MEc, PhD Co-supervisor..............................................Date................................................ DECLARATION I Atuhaire Pearl Karuhanga declare that, I. The research reported in this dissertation/thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. II. This dissertation/thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. III. This thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. IV. This dissertation/thesis does not contain other persons’ writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a. their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced: b. where their exact words have been used, their writing has been placed inside quotation marks and referenced. V. This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the internet, unless specifically acknowledged, with the source being detailed in the dissertation/thesis and in the References sections. Signature: … …. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere gratitude extends to my supervisor Dr Sylvia Kaye and co-supervisor Professor Geoffrey Harris, who have both given me tremendous support throughout the duration research. Dr Kaye, I truly value the extra time you put aside to discuss the progress of my research and the timely skype and email responses when I needed your support. Thank you for never allowing me to feel alone in this journey. I am also grateful for your mentorship and the excellent recommendations that you gave me when I needed extra capacity building for career growth. Your support has been incredibly amazing and I couldn’t have accomplished this feat without it. Prof. Geof, I thank you for giving me access to useful course resources which has in turn improved my research and general career growth as a peacebuilder and advocate for non-violence. To the refugee women and men that I worked with, thank you for being the true beacons of peace that this world needs. To my colleagues, aluta continua, we will live by the words of Robert Noyce, “knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied”. To my advisor Dr. Kaddu Mukasa, I appreciate your guidance and foresight. I would also like to acknowledge my parents for their unconditional support, their guidance is the reason for my happiness today. Mummy, your unrelenting prayers, advice and support have contributed incredibly to my success thus far. To my sisters, brothers, and friends your spiritual and emotional support is unmatched and has kept me going throughout my life. And finally, to my Lord, Jesus - my victory belongs to you! I owe it all to you. iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to the women and girls in Kyaka II refugee settlement and all women in post- conflict settings who have continued to walk proud and tall in the face of adversity. I also extend this dedication to my peer educators and the members of Mume Kwa Muke, I couldn’t have contributed to the notable change in your community without your ambition, passion and skill. May the work we began together bear much fruit and touch the lives of all those around you. iv ABSTRACT Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women in post-conflict settings is prevalent, but continues to be marginalised. While humanitarian agencies and the international community have made significant progress in trying to address SGBV, it is still prevalent in many post-conflict settings, including in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Correspondingly, there is a dearth of scholarly research on SGBV against refugee women in post-conflict settings, specifically in refugee settlements and camps. This obscures evidence and hinders possible interventions against SGBV. As such, refugee women suffer a double jeopardy of SGBV: firstly as women and secondly as refugees. That is why the main objective of this study was to explore the continum of SGBV in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement, by examining the causes of SGBV and the consequences it had on women and girl refugees. In order to achieve this objective, an action research design was applied through an intervention project that was formulated to provide sustainable solutions to SGBV in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. This research was conceived as participatory action research (AR) involving meaningful participation of both refugee women and men in formulating an empowerment project aimed at reducing SGBV in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. Qualitative data collection methods were employed in a methodological triangulation framework combining focus group discussion, key informant interviews and participant observation. The study was informed by three theories: the feminism theory, the ecological theory and the conflict resolution theories. The findings showed that the female refugees in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement are exposed to four main forms of SGBV: sexual violence, physical violence, socio- economic violence and psychological violence. However, my observations during this study revealed that psychological violence is the most common (yet invisible) form of violence from which the other forms of SGBV bloom.The study also revealed that male dominance entrenched in the patriarchal cultural values of Congolese refugees underscored the aforementioned forms of violence. The intervention project, named Mume Kwa Muke, was led by refugee men and women and conducted in 5 zones within Kyaka II refugee community to reduce SGBV in the refugee settlement. The action team was composed of 14 peer educators (7 women and 7 men) who used sensitization and awareness- raising mainly through drama, songs and one-on-one engagements to change community attitudes that reinforce SGBV. The action team created multiplier effects of reaching out, there are now: meaningful partnerships as a result of peer educators reaching out to others, increased women’s involvement in decision making, an increase in both trust and reconciliation at family and community levels leading to peaceful co-existence. v LIST OF ACRONYMS ACORD Agency for Cooperation in research and Development AHA Africa Humanitarian Alliance AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome CAR Central African Republic CAR Control of Alien Refugee Act CEDAW Convention of Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women DDP Directorate of Disaster Preparedness DFS Department of Field Support DoR Department of Refugees DPKO Department of Peacekeeping Operations Danish RC Danish Refugee Council DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ExCom Executive Committee FGD Focus Group Discussion FIDA The Uganda Association of Women Lawyers FIDH International Federation for Human Rights GAO Government Accountability Office GBV Gender Based Violence GHB Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee ICC International Criminal Court ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) IDPs Internally Displaced Persons IGAs Income Generating Activities IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development IPs Implementing Partners IPV Intimate Partner Violence IR International Relations IRIN Integrated Regional Information Networks Isis WICCE Isis Women's International Cross Cultural Exchange KIIs Key Informant Interviews LRA Lord’s Resistance Army vi LWF Lutheran-World-Federation MDGs Millennium Development Goals NDA National Development Agenda NDP National Development Plan NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations OC Officer in Charge OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OTR Office of the Registrar PADEAP The Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme PAR Participatory Action Research PO Participatory observation RLP Refugee-Law-Project RWCs Refugee Welfare Councils SASA Start Awareness Support Action SDGs Sustainable Development Goals SGBV Sexual and Gender Based Violence SPRAAs Special Programmes for Refugees in Affected Areas SRH Sexual Reproductive Health SRP/S Self-Reliance Programme/ Strategy STA Settlement Transformation Agenda STIs Sexually Transmitted Infections UNDHR United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women UNRRA United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency UNSC United Nations Security Council UNSCR United Nations Security Council Resolution VHTs Village Health Teams WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WCRWC Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organisation vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION............................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................