Paper details

Paper authors	Helen Liebling
In panel on	The Safety of Strangers: humanitarian protection in South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

There is a lack of international evidence regarding the social justice experiences of refugee survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and torture. This British Academy and Leverhulme-funded research investigated the experiences of South Sudanese men and women refugee survivors in seeking social justice in refugee settlements in Northern Uganda. A qualitative methodology was utilised to highlight their in-depth experiences. The research team carried out interviews with 41 women and 20 men refugee survivors living in Adjumani and Bidi-Bidi settlements. The researchers also interviewed 37 key informants including members of refugee welfare councils, community-based organisations, non-governmental and government organisations as well as representatives of UN agencies. All refugee survivors had accepted the fact that they would not get formal justice, but wanted their experiences recorded. Most were resigned to using informal justice routes but were particularly concerned about access to health and education services to enable them to support their families. There were significant gender differences in provision of and access to services. The findings highlight the importance of an integrated approach for social justice, which respects refugee survivors’ dignity and resilience and that combines formal and informal health and justice service responses, and which adopts culturally and gender-sensitive approaches.

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