Highlights from the First-Ever Violence against Children and Youth Survey in a Humanitarian Setting

Peter Kisaakye, Makerere University
George Odwe, Population Council
Yohannes Dibaba Wado, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Stella Muthuri, Population Council
Gloria Seruwagi, Population Council
Begoña Fernandez, Together for Girls
Constanza Ginestra, Together for Girls
Caroline W. Kabiru, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Chi-Chi Undie, Population Council

Violence against children (VAC) has garnered attention as a priority issue, in part, due to the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS). Drawing on a sample of 2,265 respondents (13-24 years) living in refugee settlements in Uganda, this paper presents the approach to the first-ever humanitarian VACS (HVACS) implementation, in addition to providing an overview of the results of this novel survey, along with their implications. VAC in refugee settings is pervasive, with females being more likely than males to experience sexual violence and males being more likely than females to experience physical violence. VAC perpetrators were mostly people who were known to child survivors. Whereas knowledge of where to seek help for violence was relatively high, the levels of disclosure and help-seeking were low for both groups. Data from humanitarian settings are critical for developing appropriate guidance on interventions to address major public health issues, such as VAC.