Community based safety partnerships to reduce gender-based violence in Uganda, The ADOVIC approach

Clark, Maria and Wakesho, Kyemba Rosemary and Bonsuk, Recheal Silvia and Nabunya, Shiella and Taylor, Julie (2021) Community based safety partnerships to reduce gender-based violence in Uganda, The ADOVIC approach. In: The Routledge International Handbook of Domestic Violence and Abuse. Routledge. ISBN 9780367334857

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Abstract

In this chapter, we report on a community-based safety partnership to reduce gender-based violence (GBV) in Uganda. The ‘Anti-Domestic Violence and Abuse Center’ (ADOVIC) is based in the city of Jinja in the east of the country. Since 2012, it has performed an important role in identifying and responding to GBV. The aim of the organisation is to reduce GBV against women and girls. In 2019, academic collaborators from the United Kingdom (UK) undertook small-scale research engagement with ADOVIC. We wanted to learn about the ADOVIC approach, and to investigate how ADOVIC worked to protect women and children from violence and abuse. Using the principles of participatory action research, we undertook nine semi-structured interviews and a focus group with eighteen stakeholders – identifying ADOVIC’s strategies and processes to reduce GBV.

We found a number of social and political factors influenced ADOVIC’s capacity to develop partnerships for reducing GBV: (1) Legal, religious and civic pluralism; (2) Multi-agency advocacy; and (3) Volunteer training and education. Recruiting volunteer activists is a dynamic aspect of the ADOVIC approach. Outreach community engagement takes place in religious and civic contexts. Although service gaps remain, particularly in responding to children affected by domestic violence and abuse, there is value in recognising the intersecting elements of women’s lives as girls, mothers and wives in their communities. Gendered socio-cultural and economic factors greatly influence ADOVIC’s capacity to rise to the challenge of GBV. ADOVIC mediates these challenges through community-based partnership working. We describe the ADOVIC approach, including the engagement processes that resulted in this co-publication.

Item Type: Book Section
Dates:
DateEvent
5 January 2021Accepted
18 March 2021Published
Subjects: CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-01 - sociology, social policy and anthropology > CAH15-01-01 - social sciences (non-specific)
Divisions: Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > School of Nursing and Midwifery
Depositing User: Maria Clark
Date Deposited: 15 Apr 2021 16:11
Last Modified: 18 Sep 2022 03:00
URI: https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/11528

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