In the 2018 violence against children survey in Uganda, findings shown that parents were the most common perpetrators of violence to children. According to the study, indicators of physical violence included punching, kicking, whipping, beating with an object, strangling, suffocating, attempted drowning, and burning intentionally.
Violence against children (VAC) is any form of physical, emotional, or mental injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment and exploitation, including sexual abuse, intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against children which may result in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development or deprivation.
Physical violence is defined as the intentional use of physical force with the potential to cause death, disability, injury, or harm to an individual.
Physical violence is the most common form of violence experienced in childhood in Uganda with 6 in 10 girls, and 7 in 10 boys experiencing it.
In Busia District, Uganda, physical violence is one of the acceptable harmful practices that is practiced by parents in terms of the proper upbringing of children. Communities say ” If you do not beat a child, you are spoiling them”.
In a survey conducted by Joining Forces for Africa (JOFA) Project in November 2020 in 6 Ugandan districts, including Busia and Bugiri, 66% of children interviewed reported an increase in physical or emotional violence from their parents and caregivers. This is attributed to increased stress among parents.
Josephine, a 39-year-old single mother of five, mentions that after her separation from her husband, she channeled all her stress to her children beating them every day.
“I would be so angry with my children and even regret having given birth to them,” Josephine reveals. One day, Josephine beat and burnt her son Isaac,14, out of anger and frustration. “Whenever Isaac would do something wrong, however small it was, I would beat him badly to the extent that he even has scars on his body,” Josephine adds.
Isaac explains that “Our mother used to beat us almost every time she was angry and oftentimes, she would even refuse to give us food because she was too annoyed.”
The JOFA project embarked on strengthening social protection through implementing positive parenting programs to reduce psychological distress among parents and caregivers.
In February 2021, a training for Parenting without Violence (PwV) facilitation was conducted in Busia. Thirty-four people) from Busia and Bugiri attended the two-days event. They were trained to roll out the PwV approach to parents, caregivers, and children within their communities.
Parenting without Violence
Parenting without Violence is an approach that aims at preventing children from experiencing physical and humiliating punishments at home and in communities. The approach helps parents and caregivers to clearly understand child development and children’s rights. The approach works with parents, care givers, and children to transform harmful and discriminatory gender norms, power dynamics and accepted practices that drive violence in homes. It also works with Government to strengthen systems and mechanisms that increase child protection equitably and, in a gender, sensitive way.
After the three days training, the facilitators were assigned to mobilize or integrate the approach in any existing group of 20 parents/caregivers and 20 children.
In March 2021, Josephine was identified by Monica, a PwV facilitator who convinced her to join the PwV parent’s group.
Josephine attended 6 adult sessions and 2 adult-child interactions facilitated by Monica. Through the sessions, various topics were discussed.
Topics such as family dreams and positive parenting goals, caring for children with emotional warmth, understanding stress and the importance of selfcare or even understanding child development among children and adolescents. The sessions also included modules on problem solving skills, respectful communication and positive relationships.
Josephine explains that after being identified by Monica, she was hesitant to join. “I thought it would be a waste of time, but I attended out of curiosity.” Josephine decided to attend one session just to hear about what the group was talking about. Josephine recalls that they were discussing family dreams, and this triggered her mind. “I was interested in what I was hearing, and I decided to attend all sessions. The information was making me reflect on my family and how I care for my children,” Josephine reveals. She adds that the other sessions like caring for children and self-care, she reflected a lot on how she relates with her children and what she could do better.
After continuous attending of sessions and home visits from her facilitator, Josephine says she started changing her behaviors especially when dealing with her children.
She recalls the first day she asked her children how school was and what they wanted to eat for super. On that day she went back and narrated to her facilitator how it made her feel good as a mother. “Through parenting without violence sessions, I have learnt the importance of involving my children in planning especially now that they are all that I have” Josephine admits.
Josephine mentions that she has now a good relationship with her children as they sit and plan together as a family and she realized that her relationship with her husband should not affect how she relates with her children: “I realized that it is not fine to put anger on my children as it also brings in more expenses. For example, I burnt my son, but not only did I spend money to treat him, but also caused him a lot of pain and left him with scars that he did not have before.”
“My mother no longer beats us and these days she even gets time and shares stories about her life with our grandparents, and this makes us feel good” says Isaac.
Josephine exhibited a feel of confidence to intervene in cases of violence against children in her community when she said, “with the information I have right now, when I find someone abusing a child, for example like beating, I engage with the parent or report to the chairman or my facilitator”.
Josephine is one of the 196 parents who completed cohort one of Parenting without Violence sessions in Busia district. The project intends to enroll more than 400 parents in Busia districts. The model also aims to target 1, 600 children.
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This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union.
Its contents are the sole responsibility of Joining Forces and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.