Community perceptions of GBV interventions implemented by legal aid clinics in Kampala District : the case of Nakawa Division

Abstract

This case study research was conducted in Nakawa Division- Kampala District, to examine how the community perceived Gender Based Violence (GBV) interventions implemented by Legal Aid Clinics (LACs). The study also sought to determine the impact community perceptions had on the effectiveness and success of LAC interventions. The study participants included ordinary community members, community leaders, GBV prevention and response stakeholders at community level and LAC staff. The study was informed by two feminist theories: the radical feminist theory and the critical race feminist legal theory. The radical feminist theory was of specific relevance because it grounds GBV in patriarchy’s sex/gender system that causes inequality between women and men. LAC GBV interventions sought to address the effects and manifestations of this inequality for example domestic violence, rape, defilement, sexual harassment, property grabbing, et cetera, mainly perpetuated against women and girls. The critical race feminist theory, on the other hand, was relevant because it explained why LACs used the law as a tool to attain justice and equality for GBV survivors. LAC staff used multiple consciousness to tell women’s stories of violence in courts of law from the standpoint of the oppressed with an aim to transform the justice system and at the same time obtain justice for GBV survivors. The study followed a qualitative design with a total of seventy-eight respondents of which sixty-two were women and sixteen were men. The data was collected through twenty-nine Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), ten in depth interviews and 6 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The perception of LAC’s GBV interventions was largely dependent on the community’s knowledge and understanding of the services offered. This knowledge, in addition to the ability of the services to meet the individual survivor’s needs informed the extent of utilisation. According to the study findings, community members who knew and had utilised LAC interventions perceived them as women-friendly avenues that provided hope for GBV survivors to attain justice which would have otherwise been impossible or difficult. However, those who had inadequate knowledge perceived LAC interventions to be biased against men and coercive. On the other hand, stakeholders such as judicial officers and health workers who were knowledgeable about LAC interventions considered them as key to enhancing access to justice for vulnerable women and girls. Both positive and negative perceptions shaped LAC GBV interventions by determining target beneficiaries, how, when, and where to implement. Uptake of LAC services and positive perceptions were enhanced by interventions that addressed the needs of the community and paid attention to the specific needs of women and men. The study revealed that some factors that determined the effectiveness of LAC GBV interventions were not within LAC’s control, these included a functional justice system and funding. To enhance effectiveness, LACs, therefore, needed to embrace the multi-sectoral approach through enhanced collaboration with the justice system, health, and social-economic structures. LACs also needed to strengthen consciousness raising on GBV as a systemic oppression that required attitude and structural change among communities and stakeholders. LACs would also have to deliberately invest in provision of inclusive services for all categories of GBV survivors, irrespective of gender identity, economic status and pay attention to multiple vulnerabilities among women. In addition to community perceptions, these findings provide evidence to inform LAC GBV interventions aimed at enhancing ownership, protection, and safety of GBV survivors at community level.