OJOK David Stephen

Psychological Influence of Stigma,
Discrimination and Social Exclusion
among Children deformed by War,
Northern Uganda
by
David Stephen Ojok
Refugee Law Project
School of Law, Makerere University
Overview
Children & armed conflict
—  Physical disability (Deformity)
—  Perception on disability
—  Disability, stigma & social exclusion
—  Psychological effects of war on children
—  Rehabilitating wounds of armed conflict
—  Reintegration into the communities
— 
“Physical impairment is not the hardest thing
to live with, but the society’s responses, in
terms of stigma and discrimination, that is
most damaging”. (Oliver 1996)
Introduction
The Northern Uganda armed conflict (LRA) is
one noted to have ever ravaged all spheres of
human life for over two decades. 90% 0f LRA
entire force constituted largely of children
(Fulkenburg 2013).
Children as one of the most vulnerable groups
suffers from ranges inhumane abuses. In the
course of wars, violence features heavily inform
of killings, looting & abduction (Dolan 2005),
leaving scars on minds, hearts and bodies of
survivors including children.
Children and armed conflict
Unconventional activities (traditional African
spiritualism, and slaying of civilians [RLP
2004]).
—  Brain wash
- Kony possessed by holy spirit(s)
- Unclear agenda of liberation
—  Initiated rites and forced killing (Ehrenreich R
1998) to infuse terror and fear, a form of
cognitive molest.
—  Performance motivated by reward (ranks)
based on major contributions (Boyden, 2003)
e.g abducting more children as new recruits
— 
Physical disability (deformity)
Children suffered major physical and
psychological injuries as a result of;
◦  Bullets
◦  Landmines
◦  Rape and forced early marriage
◦  Swollen legs due long distances
◦  Amputation of body parts (lips, ears, legs
etc)
Psychological effects of war
on children
Forced perpetration/forced witness of atrocities
committed (traumatises)
—  Community’s perception on former child
soldiers.
◦  They are regarded as rebels
◦  Some exhibit anti-social behavior
◦  Missing body parts
◦  Lost of social trust
— 
Perception on disability
Altered perception about disability as a result of
LRA war.
◦  Born physically disabled (believed as
manifestation of evil spirits/gods)
–  Disfigurement attracts negative perception
(stigma & exclusion)
◦  Mental disability (Madness) (Consequences of
atrocities committed)
Disability, stigma & social
exclusion
—  Covert
and overt/open and hidden
disability
—  Community’s attitude (marginalisation &
rejection)
◦  Limits pro-social /adaptive behaviours
◦  Causes inequality and internalised oppression
◦  Self-esteem and self-efficacy, compromises
coping capacity and influences stress-related
◦  Broken social environment or carries negative
regards (affects social development)
◦  Strong distrust due to the atrocities committed
Rehabilitating ‘wounds’ of
armed conflict
The process of adjustment constitutes both the
individual & community’s effort.
◦  Interim care (medical treatment & basic
need)
◦  Counseling (family support talk)
–  Sharing information and experiences (peer
support)
◦  Recreational activities (games & sports)
◦  Cultural dances as a form of social identity,
belonging & interaction.
◦  Livelihood programs for self-sustainability
Reintegration into community
•  Traditional cleansing (increases likelihood of
community acceptance, reduces stigma,
revenge and daily hardships that would
contribute to poor mental health)
◦  Mato oput (drinking the herb)
◦  Nyono tong-gweno (stepping on the egg)
Recommendations &
conclusion
Involvement of family members/ community
in psychosocial support
—  Supporting established social support
groups and encouraging group
mainstreaming.
—  Train, facilitate and support peer support
workers and include former abductees.
—  More research on children deformed by
armed conflict
—  Involve families and other support systems
in working with deformed former child
soldiers.
— 
Thank you!