The usefulness of the SASA! model in combating violence against women in Oruchinga refugee settlement, Isingiro District

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the usefulness of the SASA! model in preventing and responding to VAW (Violence against Women). Specifically, I examined the prevalence, patterns, causes of VAW and assessed the extent to which the SASA! model has addressed VAW (Violence against Women) in Oruchinga refugee settlement. I employed a cross-sectional research design and a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) to collect data from adult refugee women and men in Oruchinga refugee settlement. The methods included focus group discussions, questionnaires, in-depth and key informant interviews. A sample of 153 respondents(80 women, 70 men, and 3 key informants) was purposively selected using snowball sampling. Data were analyzed using content analysis,excel and epidatadata software. The findings show that economic violence is the commonest form of VAW experienced by women in this study. The study outlines several causes of VAW identifying the major cause to be unequal power relations among men and women concerning decision making and access to resources. Findings show how SASA has helped in prevention and response to VAW through awareness creation of VAW and power imbalances between men and women, behaviour and attitude change regarding perpetration and reporting, and skill acquisition in handling GBV cases. The study identified various challenges that interfere with the effective implementation of SASA such as men’s failure to turn up for a meeting and the challenge to maintain the aspect of volunteerism. The study recommends the wider implementation of the SASA model to facilitate the realization of significant impacts in refugee settings.