An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Maltreated Children and Caregivers in Southwestern Uganda ()
Affiliation(s)
1Departmentof Social Work and Social Administration, Faculty of Business, Economics and Governance, Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara, Uganda.
2Directorate of Graduate Studies, Research and Innovations, Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara, Uganda.
3Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
4Ankole Western University, Kabwohe Western, Uganda.
5Department of Mental Health, School of Medicine, Kabale University, Kabale, Uganda.
6Department of Public Health, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara, Uganda.
ABSTRACT
Background: Child maltreatment poses a great danger to the lives of children. This is
because its impacts do not only stop in their childhood but also later into
adulthood. Child maltreatment has been generally known to refer to physical,
emotional, child neglect, and sexual abuse. In many
contexts, children are taken to be minors and considered not to be aware of the
various maltreatments they may be exposed to by their caregivers and strangers.
This study therefore sought to explore the lived experiences of maltreated
children in Sheema District and Mbarara City in South
Western Uganda. Methods: We conducted 8 key informant interviews with
government civil servants and 6 with officials of civil society organizations
carrying out child protection work. Again, 6 Focus group discussions were
conducted with children. The study participants were purposively selected
because of the knowledge they had about the study topic. They were interviewed
through audio recordings and their views were transcribed verbatim where
thematic analysis was used. Results: The results hinged on four themes
namely child neglect (expressed in terms of absentee parents/fathers), emotional abuse
(reflected in terms of abusive language and words that shame or harm
children) and physical abuse (expressed through corporal punishments and sexual
abuse). Conclusions: Maltreated children go through a lot of emotional
torture, physical harm, sexual abuse and neglect. We recommend interventions
geared towards mitigating child maltreatment and its effects be propagated for
wholistic and complete healthy child development.
Share and Cite:
Mpairwe, A. , Bahati, R. , Ainomugisha, A. and Ainamani, H. (2023) An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Maltreated Children and Caregivers in Southwestern Uganda.
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
11, 75-91. doi:
10.4236/jss.2023.1111004.
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