What now? Reducing domestic violence and reviewing refugee safety globally

This event will be split into two parts led by Dr Okot and Dr Malagala respectively. 

Part 1 - Reducing domestic violence

Dr Okot will discuss how Intimate partner violence and violence against children are interlinked and are major social, development, and public health concerns in Uganda and globally. Violence against children has severe and long-lasting impacts on physical and mental health with knock-on effects at the economic and societal level. Children who experience or witness violence are more likely to perpetrate or be a victim of intimate partner violence and perpetrate violence against children in adulthood.

The Parenting for Respectability programme is a 16-session group-based parenting programme, that was developed in Uganda with families to address these issues on a community and national level. The programme emphasises the recruitment of fathers as much as it does to mothers

Part 2 - Improving safety conditions for refugees

Dr Malagala will explore research findings that reflect on how international justice systems and refugees’ traditional justice mechanisms fail to guarantee the safety and protection of those made vulnerable by the crisis. The research focuses on Ugandan refugee experiences which indicate emerging trajectories of protecting individuals in crisis spaces.

The refugees’ traditional justice mechanisms do not meet international human rights standards, especially regarding the non-discrimination, and fair and equal treatment of all, the shortcomings of the national formal justice system pose a formidable challenge for citizens and its humanitarian partners’ goal of effectively protecting strangers residing in the country.

This event will be particularly useful for researchers, policy makers and teachers.