Rape: A Critical Analysis of the Law Policy and Practice in Uganda

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TABLE OF CONTENT

DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL .................................................................................................................................................. ii

DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................................. iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................ iv

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... viii

CHAPTER ONE.: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... I

I. I lntroduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1

I .2 Background ............................................................................................................................................. 1

I .3. Statement of the problem ....................................................................................................................... 2

I .4. Justification of the study ........................................................................................................................ 3

I .5 Objectives of the research ....................................................................................................................... 3

I .6 Demarcation of the study ........................................................................................................................ 4

I. 7 The Law and Practice on reporting and handling of rape cases at the police stations ........................... .4

I .7. I Operational Definition of terms ........................................................................................................... 6

I .8 Human rights implications ...................................................................................................................... 8

I .9 Limitations of the study ........................................................................................................................ 11

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... I

2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1

2. I Rape: Conceptual Clarifications ............................................................................................................. 1

2.2 Types of Rape according to various scholars .......................................................................................... 2

2.3 The Effect of Rape on Victims and Society ............................................................................................ 4

2.4 Related literature review ......................................................................................................................... 6

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOG¥ ................................................................................................. 9

3.0 lntroduction ............................................................................................................................................. 9

3. I Research Design ...................................................................................................................................... 9

3.2 Area of Study .......................................................................................................................................... 9

3.3 Study Population ................................................................................................................................... 10

3.4 Sampling Procedure and Selection ........................................................................................................ 10

3.5 Sample size ........................................................................................................................................... 10

3.6 Methods of collecting data and their limitations ................................................................................... 10

3.6.0 Individual in depth interviews ............................................................................................................ 11

3.6.1 IdentifYing rape victims: "Lucky" researcher .................................................................................... 12

3.6.2 Avoiding third trauma ........................................................................................................................ 13

3. 7 Group/Discussion interviews ................................................................................................................ 14

3.8 Key informants interviews .................................................................................................................... 15

3.9 Observation ........................................................................................................................................... 16

3.10 Validity and Reliability of Research Instruments ............................................................................... 18

3.10.1 Validity ............................................................................................................................................. 18

3.10.2 Reliability ......................................................................................................................................... 18

3 .I I Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 18

3.12 Qualitative Data Analysis and management ....................................................................................... 18

3. 13 Quantitative Data Analysis ................................................................................................................. 18

CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION, PRESENTATION OF THE FINDINGS .................................... !9

4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 19

4.2 Law, practice Vs reality (real life experience) ...................................................................................... 19

4.2.0 Victims of rape and their journey to acquiring justice, how do they get there? ................................. 19

4.2.1 Reporting at the police station and the victims' experience ............................................................... 19

4.2.2 Who conducts the interviews? ........................................................................................................... 22

4.2.3 How and where are the interviews conducted? .................................................................................. 24

4.2.4 Where does she do next? It's not the end of the road yet... ................................................................ 25

4.3 Another traumatic experience; .............................................................................................................. 27

4.3.0 Acquiring the medical report... ........................................................................................................... 27

4.3.1 Analysis of the medical form 3 /Report ............................................................................................. 28

4.3.2 The procedure of getting the medical report ...................................................................................... 31

4.3.3 1-low the procedure impacts on a rape victim? ................................................................................... 32

4.3.4 Who is the doctor? ............................................................................................................................. 32

4.3.5 How does she get to the doctor? ......................................................................................................... 33

4.3 .6 Payments for the medical report. ........................................................................................................ 34

4.3. 7 What does the doctor do for her? Does he administer any treatment? ............................................... 36

4.3.8 The time taken to get the medical report; ........................................................................................... 37

4.3.9 The effect of not getting the medical repOJt ....................................................................................... 38

4.3.4 Women's experience with the police and its effect on reporting of rape cases ................................. 39

4.4 Emerging Issues .................................................................................................................................... 41

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................... .43

5.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 43

5.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................. 44

5.3 Areas for future Research ...................................................................................................................... 49

ABSTRACT The topic of the study was rape; critical analysis of the law policy and practices in Uganda; the objectives of the study were; to show a critical analysis of the reporting process of rape cases at the police station and how the process impacts on the victims ofrape; To explain how the issue of paying for the medical report affects the victims and to also point out how the system can be improved to create an enabling environment for the victims to report and proceed with the matter. The researcher used questionnaire and interview guide to collect all the necessary information related to the topic of the study. Using several modern methodologies, in particular, the Women's Law Approach, and suitable data collection methods, this study reveals the undignified and unjust ordeal women rape victims are forced to endure at the initial reporting stage of the crime. At the mercy of an underresourced criminal justice system, manned by poorly-trained and often gender-insensitive police officers, most victims refuse to report the crime or give up pursuing a complaint after they have made one. In the hope of realizing and protecting rape victims' rights in accordance with binding/persuasive local and international HR instruments, the writer finally suggests sound recommendations for overhauling this part of the criminal justice system in co-operation with significant stakeholders, especially NGOs, who are currently at the forefront of assisting rape victims. Conclusion of study is that Improving the quality and type of statistics collected by the police. Doing so would provide insight into who has access to the criminal justice system (and who does not), and enable better tracking of trends (such as an increase in attacks on older women). Comprehensive reporting on all forms of sexual violence is also necessary. Welldesigned community-based surveys need to become a regular feature of efforts to address sexual violence. Given data suggesting that the majority of men who rape do so more than once, it is imperative that barriers to reporting be reduced. This needs to go hand-in-hand with strengthening the criminal justice system's response to rape, both to provide victims with justice and to detain men likely to commit further rapes if left unchecked. Recommendations were as follows Dissemination of information using this report to the Government, NGO's and other stake holders. Since the gaps have been identified fi·om the criminal justice system while dealing with rape victims, improvement may easily be done. Formulating standing orders to direct police officers on how they should handle sexual offences at the police station.

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Rape: A Critical Analysis of the Law Policy and Practice in Uganda

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