Persistent victimization and stigmatization: a case of failed rehabilitation and reintegration process?

Persistent victimization and stigmatization: a case of failed rehabilitation and reintegration process?AbstractBackground: The Uganda Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) peace agreement on Disarmament,... [ view full abstract ]

Persistent victimization and stigmatization: a case of failed rehabilitation and reintegration process?

Abstract

Background: The Uganda Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) peace agreement on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) on child soldiers was to address; education and livelihood, with special attention on the needs of the girl-child and reconciliation with families and communities. Drawing upon our research study in Northern Uganda in 2014, whose objectives included: 1) To establish community and family perceptions and attitudes towards Former Child Soldiers (FCS); 2) To establish gaps in the DDR process and 3) Document locally generated and FCS based frameworks, this paper will seek to link ineffective DDR to continued victimization and stigmatization while rooting for local/alternative approaches to DDR.

Methods: 180 FCS were interviewed. Data from the FCS was corroborated with that from secondary respondents (parents, community, government civil society organizations' representatives).

Findings: Results showed that the government of Uganda did not adhere to the provisions of the agreement but pegged reintegration on overall development. Furthermore the lack of authentic statistics on the number of children who were associated with the LRA and a whole 40% percent not going through any reception or rehabilitation centers is a sign of government’s weak commitment to reintegration. The outcome has been the continuous discrimination, victimization and stigmatization of former child soldiers by their family members and community with girls bearing the greatest brunt. Those who came with children have had to endure rejection and the agony that comes with the inability to provide identity to one’s child. Conclusion: While the cold treatment accorded to FCS led to generation of new strategies to cope and survive, the findings point to the need for a reintegration process that is multi-stakeholder, contextualized, deliberate and targeted. More importantly, community targeted interventions must be prioritized.