Forced displacement and violence against children in Bidibidi refugee settlement

Abstract

This study sought to examine the impact of forced displacement on violence against children. Forced displacement relates to the coerced movement of persons because of either natural or manmade disaster, while violence against children refers to the deliberate usage of physical force or power, either threatened or actual, on oneself, another child or a group of children with resultant impact on the child’s physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. The study was guided by three objectives which included examining the causes of violence against children in the Bidibidi refugee settlement, examining the forms of violence against children in the Bidibidi Refugee settlement, and examining the effectiveness of existing mechanisms to prevent and respond to violence against children in Bidibidi Refugee settlement. In this study, the researcher adopted mixed-method research where both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The researcher also applied descriptive research to carry out the study. The population of the study was 283,000 from which a sample of 399 was arrived at using the Slovene formula for sample size determination. Respondents were sampled through stratified sampling technique for the survey respondents and purposive sampling for the Key informants. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview guides and focused group discussion guides and was analysed using mean and standard deviation. The study found out that VAC is happening in Bidibidi and is being influenced by several factors including separation of children from parents, lack of livelihood opportunities for caregivers, and lack of awareness raising on child rights. The study further found that unaccompanied children (UACs) in foster care, child-headed households, and adolescent girls are the main categories of children at heightened risk of sexual, physical, and emotional violence.