An exploration of the post-conflict integration of children born in captivity living in the Lord’s Resistance Army war-affected areas of Uganda

Abstract

This thesis explores the extent to which existing national transitional justice policy frameworks structuring reintegration and integration interventions enable the effective or successful integration of children born in captivity (CBIC) in Uganda. These children were born to females subjected to ‘forced marriage’ to Lord’s Resistance Army soldiers while in captivity. Now living among the post-conflict communities of integration, the CBIC experience unresolved problems of stigma and discrimination. The thesis attributes part of the reason for this to a failure to distinguish between integration and reintegration as distinct processes in both academic analysis, policy and practice. Therefore, this thesis argues the need to distinguish between the processes, and contributes by developing a framework that can help the understanding of integration as experienced by Uganda’s CBIC. Secondly, the thesis responds to the scarcity of information on how reparation can address the plight of these children by suggesting a broad approach. This approach would enable both recognition and redistribution in response to the integration plight of CBIC living in Uganda. Therefore, this thesis has implications for academia, policy and practice.

Empirical research was conducted among three post-conflict communities in Uganda using a combination of qualitative research methods in in-depth fieldwork that explored the integration of these children. The findings were analysed using qualitative content analysis and the outcomes presented in two sets of empirical chapters – one on integration and the other on reparations claims for these children. The empirical chapters from the three sub-regions consulted reflect the relevance of ensuring effective or successful integration for both CBIC and post-conflict communities of integration.

The thesis concludes with the claim that, in fragile contexts where suitable transitional justice options for CBIC are not considered or adopted, existing policy and programme interventions encourage only a ‘shallow and unsustainable integration’. This requires a distinct conceptualisation and response to integration to enable the interventions to respond to the specificities of CBIC as beneficiaries of the process. By contrast, when reparations address the needs of CBIC, they foster recognition and redistribution, thereby leading to an improvement in integration towards a deep and sustainable state.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Pia Riggirozzi: orcid.org/0000-0001-5809-890X

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