Determinants of domestic violence reporting culture among rural women in Kabale Municipality-Uganda

Abstract

The existence of legal frameworks addressing domestic violence in Uganda presumes that victims readily access them for help. However, the reality is that victims of domestic violence encounter various socio-cultural challenges which make them decide whether or not to use the available legal and institutional frameworks to get remedies for the violence they suffer. The law as it is, offers a strait jacket solution of “Report-Prosecute-Punish” which may not provide concrete solutions to these victims of violence since different women have varying complexities in their intimate relationships. As a result, these women decide to die silently or adopt the non-formal reporting mechanisms and this has resulted in the under reporting of domestic violence cases in the national statistics. The study sought to establish the determinants of domestic violence reporting culture among the rural women in Kabale Municipality and adopted a qualitative study that deployed a descriptive research design to adequately capture in-depth information about experiences of domestic violence. Using interviews and Focus Group Discussions the researcher was able to collect data from a total of 23 Respondents who were purposively selected. The data was analysed by coding themes which were relevant to the research objectives, using NVIVO Version 10. Ethical principles were followed in this study for instance the anonymity of the respondents was highly respected. The findings revealed that the legal and institutional frameworks for protection against the Domestic Violence exist such as the Local Council Courts, Family and Children’s Court as well as other institutions like the Probation Office and Police. However, the study revealed that Victims of domestic Violence prefer to report to acquaintances who include friends and relatives’ legal parties such as their lawyer colleagues, Legal Aid Clinics and FIDA and society leaders such as the NGOs and the religious leaders. On the other hand, the main challenge that the victims face with regard to reporting were; Untrustworthy Parties, Personal Concerns, Esteem Issues all of which inhibit the women from reporting the violence. Further, the socio-cultural factors that negatively affect the reporting culture of domestic violence cases were categorised as; Cultural Norms, Illegal Marriages, Financial Hardships and Number of children born. In light of the findings, various recommendations were presented such as the need for awareness drives to be done annually by the local area leaders and the religious leaders so that they can sensitise communities about the dangers of domestic violence. These drives should be done in the local languages and the social media platforms accessible to all people such as the local radio stations. The Domestic Violence Act, 2010 needs to be interpreted in local languages so that the people know about this law that criminalises domestic violence. The need for establishment of shelters, economic empowerment and ensuring that these shelters are equipped with financial resources and counselling services among others were recommended.