Assessment of un-guidelines on preventing gender-based violence

Abstract

The study is assessed the UN-Guidelines on Preventing Gender-Based Violence using the case of indigenous Acholi Women in Gulu District. This situation is partly being attributed to the long-term effects of the protracted war that marred Northern Uganda over the past decades. The study was informed by three main objectives, which include to: i) examine the similarities between the UN-guidelines and indigenous approaches against gender-based violence; ii) explore the reasons for the persistent increase in gender-based violence despite the use of similar UN-guidelines and traditional approaches; and iii) identify possible indigenous approaches to restore a gender-based violence-free society in Gulu District. A case study descriptive design was adopted, with both qualitative and quantitative research approaches being applied to complement each other. The study was conducted in Gulu District with 399 participants. Snowballing, purposive, and random sampling techniques were used to select participants. Data were collected through administered questionnaires, interviews with key informants, observation, Focus Group Discussions, and document reviews. Reliability and validity were applied to maintain quality. Collected data were sorted and entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for quantitative analysis, while regression was used for inferential statistics, and content analysis was applied for qualitative data. Above all, the study is adhered ethical standards. Results indicates there is similarities between the UN-guidelines and indigenous approaches with most variables examined being found with p-value, 0.000 < 0.05. It is also indicated there are various factors for the persistent GBV such as traditional norms and customs with p-value, 0.000 < 0.05. other factors that were found significant to persistent of GBV include unequal support by government, alcoholism & drug abuse, desire by women to end men‘s position, denial for sexual inter-course by women, contraction of disease like HIVAIDS, early marriages. Significant possible indigenous approaches to restore free society with p-value, 0.000 < 0.05 include involvement of female elders over 80 years, use of Rwot chiefs, maternal and paternal families, and above all, Mato-Oput. Conclusively, the study found similarities between UN – guidelines and traditional approaches to GBV. It was therefore recommended that the government should use the two measures to restore sanity in Gulu district.