Category Archives: Statements & Briefs

Long-Term Effects of Sexual Violence on Women and Families: The Case of Northern Uganda

Statements & Briefs

The following brief is a summary of a research project that was conducted by Dr. Mahlet Woldetsadik, in collaboration with the Justice Reconciliation Project and the Women’s Advocacy Network between 2015 and 2018.  The brief documents the persisting effects of conflict-related sexual violence on survivors and the indirect impact of wartime sexual violence on families of survivors in northern Uganda. In addition to the summary of results presented, the brief also offers tailored and comprehensive recommendations and next steps for different stakeholders.

Read the full brief here.

Addressing the Unredressed – Gaps and opportunities for affirmative action for war-affected women within local government programmes and services in northern Uganda

Statements & Briefs, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Policy Brief - Addressing the Unredressed Cover

On 15 September 2015, the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) at the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) convened a round-table meeting between 24 local government officials and 16 WAN members. The purpose of the meeting was to explore opportunities for war-affected women to benefit from existing and proposed government programmes as an interim avenue for redress for conflict-related wrongs they experienced during northern Uganda’s longstanding conflicts. The meeting was attended by sub-county chiefs, community development officers (CDOs), district community development officers (DCDOs), chief administrative officers (CAOs) and district speakers from Adjumani district in the West Nile sub-region; Gulu, Amuru, Pader and Nwoya districts in Acholi sub-region; and Lira district in Lango sub-region.

The meeting was supported with funding from the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), through a grant from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women as well as the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), Kampala. The objectives of the meeting were to share findings of a recent needs assessment survey conducted by JRP; to explore opportunities for war-affected women under current and proposed government programmes; and to facilitate discussion between war-affected women and their leaders on matters of justice, reconciliation and redress.

This policy brief draws upon the discussions and recommendations that emerged from the meeting and seeks to inform local governments across Uganda on the avenues through which they can work within their existing mandates to better meet the unredressed justice needs of war-affected women through targeted development assistance. It is divided into four sections: a background on transitional justice (TJ) including the major development programmes in the country, conflict sexual violence and the advocacy of the WAN at JRP; the needs and challenges facing war-affected women in northern Uganda; gaps, challenges and opportunities for local governments in meeting these needs and challenges; and practical recommendations for local and national government officials, war-affected women and civil society organisations.

Read the full policy brief here: Policy Brief – Addressing the Unredressed (PDF)

Alone Like A Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda

Statements & Briefs, , , , , ,
Alone Like A Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda
Alone Like A Tree: Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda

Women in northern Uganda suffered various forms of conflict-related sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) during the region’s longstanding armed conflicts. These have resulted in ongoing forms of re-victimisation, including those associated with the lasting effects of bearing and caring for children born as a result of conflict sexual violence, what this briefing terms “children born of war” (CBW). Unfortunately, acknowledgment and redress for CBW and their mothers is largely lacking in the transitional justice (TJ) in Uganda.

The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), a Ugandan non-governmental organisation that works for justice and reconciliation with grassroots communities, conducted a consultation with conflict-affected women and local leaders from September to October 2014. This was done in an effort to identify emerging needs and challenges facing CBW and their mothers so that policies and programmes can be developed and implemented to meet and address these needs. The consultation sought the views of more than 447 people and found that stigmatisation, rejection, trauma, behavioural challenges, meeting basic needs, identity and access to land continue to be major challenges facing CBW that are likely to only intensify as these children come of age.

Organised into eight sections, the briefing provides an introduction and methodological overview, background on CBW and TJ in Uganda, analysis of numbers and key challenges according to mothers of CBW and local leaders, and recommendations for the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders on what is needed to address these challenges and provide meaningful redress to CBW and their mothers.

Key findings

  • 1,609 children (both CBW and non-CBW) between the ages of <1 to 31-years-old are being cared for the participating members of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN).
  • Eighty percent of the children older than five years old are reported to be in school, but paying school fees are reported as the number one challenge in caring for male and female CBW.
  • 437 (27%) of the 1,609 children reported were conceived because of an act of sexual violence against the mother. 311 (68%) were conceived in captivity, 80 (18%) were conceived of rape, 33 (7%) were conceived of defilement, and 33 (7%) were conceived of sexual exploitation.
  • 481 (30%) of the fathers of all children reported were in an armed group at the time of conception. Of the children conceived through sexual violence, 330 (88%) of the fathers were in the LRA and 46 (12%) of the fathers were in the states forces (Uganda People’s Defence Force [UPDF] or National Resistance Army [NRA]).
  • The primary challenges facing CBW include stigmatisation and rejection, trauma and behavioural challenges, inability to meet basic needs, identity, and access to land.
  • There are unique gender dimensions to the needs of CBW, with female CBW being more susceptible to sexual exploitation and abusive marriages, and male CBW being without resources for dowry and land to settle on once married. Both male and female CBW of school-going age face challenges with school fees.
  • Local leaders report being aware of CBW in their communities, but suggest lack of data is an obstacle to the development of programmes and policies that benefit them. There is a general belief among local leaders that CBW and their mothers access more existing programmes than they do in reality.
  • More data is needed on the numbers and needs of CBW in order to inform interventions, especially at the sub-county-level.
  • There is need to better understand the challenges facing CBW from their own perspectives, and what the women and children’s justice and redress needs and expectations are.
  • Every stakeholder has a role to play in addressing the challenges raised.
  • CBW need counselling and social support, so they can come to terms with their complex identities.
  • The Government of Uganda (GoU) must prioritise support to CBW and their mothers through medical care, education, child- and family-tracing, land and housing, livelihoods, and by providing equal support as men as they provide male ex-combatants.
  • The GoU must investigate allegations of corruption and nepotism, especially with regards to government programmes for vulnerable groups, such as CBW.
  • Fathers who are alive and known should be held accountable and provide child support.
  • More steps must be taken to involve men and the community in programmes that offer assistance to CBW and their mothers.
  • CBW and their mothers should be encouraged to seek unity and relief through groups and peer support.

Key recommendations

  • More data is needed on the numbers and needs of CBW in order to inform interventions, especially at the sub-county-level.
  • There is need to better understand the challenges facing CBW from their own perspectives, and what the women and children’s justice and redress needs and expectations are.
  • Every stakeholder has a role to play in addressing the challenges raised.
  • CBW need counselling and social support, so they can come to terms with their complex identities.
  • The Government of Uganda (GoU) must prioritise support to CBW and their mothers through medical care, education, child- and family-tracing, land and housing, livelihoods, and by providing equal support as men as they provide male ex-combatants.
  • The GoU must investigate allegations of corruption and nepotism, especially with regards to government programmes for vulnerable groups, such as CBW.
  • Fathers who are alive and known should be held accountable and provide child support.
  • More steps must be taken to involve men and the community in programmes that offer assistance to CBW and their mothers.
  • CBW and their mothers should be encouraged to seek unity and relief through groups and peer support.

To read the full situational brief, please read: Alone Like A Tree Reintegration Challenges Facing Children Born of War and Their Mothers in Northern Uganda (Pdf)

Community Perceptions on Dominic Ongwen

Statements & Briefs, , , , ,
Community Perceptions on Dominic Ongwen, Situational Brief, May 2015
Community Perceptions on Dominic Ongwen, Situational Brief, May 2015

Following the transfer of Lord’s Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Justice and Reconciliation Project sought the views of communities tied to Ongwen’s case at the ICC. The result is a situational brief presenting theirs and civil society members in Gulu’s opinions on Dominic Ongwen and recommendations for international justice.

Read the full situational brief here (pdf): Community Perceptions on Dominic Ongwen

Distributive justice: Recommendations for reparations and distributive justice for former child soldiers in northern Uganda

Statements & Briefs,

Distributive Justice - Recommendations for reparations for former child soldiers

The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) works to understand and explain the interests of individuals, groups and communities affected by conflict. Since 2005, JRP has made key policy recommendations to the civil society and government actors regarding the provision of victim-sensitive reparative measures in northern Uganda, based on research and interaction with victims of conflict, policy makers and other key transitional justice stakeholder. This policy brief seeks to explore how distributive justice and reparations can serve children that were forcibly recruited into the LRA. It is based on the findings of 17 semi-structured key informant interviews conducted in Kampala, Kitgum and Gulu in Uganda. The organisations which were represented by the interviewees included a mix of local, national and international organisations from the fields of children’s rights and transitional justice3 as well as two young people who were formerly associated with the LRA.

Read this full Policy Brief here: Distributive justice (pdf)

 

The Right to Know – Policy recommendations for addressing the rights of the missing and their families in northern Uganda

Statements & Briefs, , , ,
The Right to Know communicates the findings of a pilot study done in in Palabek Kal and Palabek Gem sub-counties in Lamwo District, to establish the circumstances under which people disappeared, examine past and present coping strategies used by the affected communities, evaluate surviving families’ needs, and provide recommendations for civil society organisations, the Ugandan government and international actors.
The Right to Know communicates the findings of a pilot study done in in Palabek Kal and Palabek Gem sub-counties in Lamwo District, to establish the circumstances under which people disappeared, examine past and present coping strategies used by the affected communities, evaluate surviving families’ needs, and provide recommendations for civil society organisations, the Ugandan government and international actors.

 

Overview

Increasingly, the missing victims of mass atrocities around the world are being formally recognised as a key impediment to genuine social repair and transitional justice. A recent conference organised by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) found that where a concerted effort was made to locate and identify the missing victims of mass atrocities some of these impediments were overcome. Going forward, the international community now recognises that the missing victims of past and ongoing mass atrocities are an urgent global concern that warrants a structured and sustained response that works in tandem with local government and civil society organisations. As such, the Government of Uganda and Ugandan civil society organisations, in collaboration with relevant sectors within the international community, have a legal and moral obligation to address the missing victims of Uganda’s recent civil war in order to promote genuine social repair and transitional justice in northern Uganda.

In line with these international developments, and building upon its history of working with families affected by the recent civil war, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP), in collaboration with the families of the missing, launched the “Right to Know” campaign in 2012 to promote awareness of the plight of the missing and the anguish of their families. JRP has since completed a pilot study in Palabek Kal and Palabek Gem sub-counties in Lamwo District that establishes the circumstances under which people disappeared, examines past and present coping strategies used by the affected communities, evaluates surviving families’ needs, and provides recommendations for civil society organisations, the Ugandan government and international actors.

This policy brief communicates the findings of this pilot study, drawing upon individual interviews and focus group discussions with families of the missing, formerly abducted persons, cultural leaders and local government leaders. These categories of participants were chosen to gain a multidimensional understanding of the lingering challenges faced by northern Ugandans whose lives have been intimately impacted by their missing relatives. Specifically: the needs of the surviving families, their sources of information on the missing, the impact of their search for information on the community, and any cultural or governmental processes that have allowed them to move forward while living with ambiguous loss. It then draws upon outreaches conducted by JRP in communities across northern Uganda to gain a better grasp of the situation.

Key recommendations

This policy brief recommends that the Government of Uganda, in collaboration with the international community and civil society organisations (CSOs) in northern Uganda, should take the following actions:

  • Formally and publicly acknowledge the missing victims of war and related atrocities in northern Uganda as a prominent obstacle to social repair;
  • Ensure a comprehensive transitional justice policy framework and subsequent legislation that reaffirms forced disappearance as a crime against humanity and, within this legal prohibition, formally recognises the rights of the missing and their surviving families;
  • Establish an independent commission on missing persons to collaborate with surviving families to generate a centralised database and oversee search efforts;
  • Provide economic support and skills training for the families of the missing so they can better overcome their unique economic burdens; and
  • Support ongoing research in northern Uganda beyond Palabek toward identifying regional particularities related to the needs of families of the missing.

Download this entire policy brief here: JRP Policy Brief – The Right to Know, August 2014 (pdf)

The Dog That Barks But Doesn’t Bite: Victims’ Perspectives on the International Criminal Court in Uganda, Policy Brief No. 6

Statements & Briefs

Ugandans have a complicated relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The armed conflict and atrocities against civilians that took place in northern Uganda undoubtedly deserved international attention and censure. When the ICC trained its sights on the Ugandan situation in 2004, many welcomed its intervention. But its impact has been mixed. There have been accusations that the Court promoted a form of justice at odds with cultural practices of northern Ugandans, ignored crimes by the Ugandan military, and hindered peace talks with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). However, since the collapse of the Juba process in 2008, the ICC has largely faded from the headlines. Today, eight years after the Court began its investigations in Uganda, there have been no arrests, no trials, and no reparations. The ICC is winding down most operations in Uganda, although it remains ready to ramp-up again if arrests occur.

What role can the ICC play in Uganda going forward? To address that question one must not only look at the actions of the ICC but also at the approaches or standards it seeks to advance. A key principle of the Rome Statute is complementarity—the ICC will only intervene if a state is unwilling or unable to pursue accountability in a way that meets the ICC’s standards. Some argue that other ICC standards, such as witness protection, reparations, or victim participation should also be promoted. Whether or not there are arrests, some states and civil society organizations will push for these standards to be met.

This policy report addresses the ICC’s approach to transitional justice and its past work in Uganda, based on conversations with victims of conflict and members of civil society. To identify major questions and concerns about the ICC from victims’ perspectives we convened focus group discussions (FGDs) in three communities that were particularly affected by the civil war: Barlonyo in Lango sub-region and Lukodi  and Palabek Kal in Acholi sub-region.

In addition to these discussions, we interviewed members of 14 different civil society organizations that work extensively on transitional justice issues. These meetings were held in Soroti, Gulu, and Kampala. We also include a short column by the regional program officer of the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) explaining its policies in Uganda.

Read the entire brief here: The Dog That Barks But Does Not Bite (pdf).

Situational Brief on Truth-Telling in Northern Uganda

Statements & Briefs, ,

On Tuesday 18th July 2012, the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) released its long awaited study on traditional justice and truth-telling. The one day launch event took place at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala. The report contained findings of a study on traditional justice mechanisms of tribes all over northern Uganda, and truth telling mechanisms. The report made policy recommendations on adoption of a national policy on truth-telling and traditional justice.

Following the launch of this report, JRP’s Community Documentation department decided to conduct a brief situational analysis on truth-telling within local communities, to analyze local perceptions and opinions on the subject. The situational brief has eight questions assessing the areas of:
• Community members’ knowledge on truth seeking process;
• Relevance of a truth seeking process
• Types of truth they would like revealed
• Timing of the truth seeking process and whether it is overdue or not
• Methodology; truth commission vs local level truth telling
• Leadership; who do they think should lead the process
• Consequences of a truth seeking process
• Voluntariness; Whether the process should be voluntary or not.

The situational brief was conducted in Awach, Koch-Goma, Lukodi, and Gulu Town. Read the findings below (PDF format):

Situational Brief – Current Perceptions on Truth-Telling in Gulu District

Amnesty consultations Barlonyo

Who Forgives Whom? Northern Uganda’s Grassroots Views on the Amnesty Act

Statements & Briefs, , , ,

JRP Amnesty Policy Brief CoverTo read the full briefing, click here.

Overview
After more than twelve years in force, Uganda discontinued ‘blanket’ amnesty for reporters on 25 May 2012 by allowing Part 2 of the Amnesty Act of 2000 to lapse. With positive developments in the creation of a transitional justice (TJ) framework and a shifting of the armed conflict to neighboring countries, the continued relevance of Uganda’s Amnesty Act of 2000 had been fiercely debated in recent months in high-level discussions between government and civil society, with many asking, “What should be the future of the Amnesty Act?”

Recognizing the absence of greater North grassroots voices in many of these debates, especially from a gendered perspective, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) carried out a series of consultations from 21-27 March 2012 in conflict-affected regions of northern Uganda—including West Nile, Lango, Acholi and Teso—to discern the views of those most directly impacted by and benefitting from the Act on its role, achievements and continued relevance. As subsequent sections of this paper reveal, the consultations unveiled mixed views at the grassroots level on the past and present relevance and equity of the Act, yet reached overwhelming general consensus for the renewal of the Act with amendments. Such amendments were seen to better address the justice needs of both victims and perpetrators, while ensuring the sustainability of an already fragile peace.

Draft versions of this brief were circulated prior to the Act’s expiration to inform the Justice, Law and Order Sector’s (JLOS) decision to abolish, renew or renew with amendments Uganda’s Amnesty Act. However, with the JLOS Leadership Committee’s subsequent decision to abolish amnesty, this brief seeks to contribute to the Government of Uganda’s ongoing consultative and policy-making process to integrate elements of conditional amnesty into a national TJ policy.

To read the full briefing, click here.

Published with financial support from UNWOMEN under the Women’s Access to Justice in Conflict and Post-Conflict in Uganda Programme.

Disclaimer: The views represented in this brief do not necessarily represent the views of UN Women.

Oduru (Alarm): A Poem by the Women’s Advocacy Network, 8 March 2012

Statements & Briefs, , , , , , , , , , ,

Oduru (Alarm)
A Poem by the Women’s Advocacy Network for International Women’s Day 2012
PDF

This year, as we join the world in celebration of International Women’s Day, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) wishes to emphasize the unique peace, justice and reconciliation challenges faces women survivors of armed conflict. In line with this year’s theme, “Connecting girls, inspiring futures,” a member of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN)—a JRP-supported forum for conflict-affected women to undertake gender justice advocacy—has prepared a poem that highlights some of the issues facing formerly-abducted women and the need for stakeholders and communities to listen to women’s calls for justice.

Wululu Wululu Wululu
Lutuwa  oduru  yang ka okok lwak  ringo kama oduru okok  iye do
Piny dong oto
Piny dong oto ada

Wa lworo piny calo lee tim malworo got
Wa lworo piny kwe
Wa lworo Wa lworo Wa lworo

Oduru ki wango doo
Oduru pek
Oduru lit
Oduru longo

Aneno tungi ki tungi
Mutu piny mede ameda
Gwoko ajula dong odoko tek
Lutino ma pe wa yube pire
Anyim gi tika bibedo tye
Anyim gi binen awene

Lweny Lweny Lweny
Lweny, kono yang wangeyo gang pa meni kono ber
Kadi obed kumeno kwo pud yube

Wun lwak wun gamente, wun NGOs, wun lutela wa
Wucung kwed wa
Wu pee cing wa
Wuwiny koko wa
Wulok kwed wa

Mon obedo guti
Wu nyut it wa maa
Wek wabed calo dano adana
Wek anyim wa obed maleng
Wawek tim alany
Wek oduru ogik koko

Poem Explanation by the Authors
The poem was written by members of the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN). Cognizant that the war in northern Uganda affected us, the war-affected women, in various ways, we are calling for justice, healing and reconciliation.

In this poem, we note the ongoing challenges we face, such as the quest for reparations and other forms of redress from various stakeholders, which we compare to a wild animal wondering about the mountains. We also note the challenges in raising children we were not prepared to have (children born in captivity, ajula), whose futures are blurred and who lack basic needs, a cultural identity and access to land.

The poem’s title, Oduru, means raising an alarm. In the past when one would hear a person alarming, he or she would know there was a problem and in turn run to the source of the cry. In this context, we believe that what befell us during the war merits attention, and we hope in hearing our calls you too will run to our side.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2012, we call upon stakeholders to respond to our cries for justice, healing and reconciliation for ourselves and our children. Despite the challenges we face, we are hopeful that our futures and that of our children can be bright if you listen and respond to our oduru.

About WAN
The Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) is a forum for war-affected women to advocate for justice, acknowledgment and accountability for gender-based violations inflicted during war. It was formed in May 2011 with support from JRP and aims to empower women survivors to participate in post-conflict policy debates in Uganda and to engage grassroots communities in gendered discussions on reintegration and reconciliation. The WAN currently comprises of 9 women’s groups from Acholi sub-regions, with plans to expand to Teso, West Nile and Lango in 2012. The WAN meets quarterly to discuss common issues, including the need for compensation and other forms of reparation, the rights of children born of forced marriage in LRA captivity and strategies to end social stigma by communities.

About JRP
The Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) promotes locally sensitive and sustainable peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region by focusing on the active involvement of grassroots communities in local-level transitional justice. To learn more about JRP’s work, please visit www.justiceandreconciliation.com. For comments related to this poem, please email info@justiceandreconciliation.com.

Click here for the PDF.