Screening for sexual violence against children in schools in refugee settings in Uganda
19th June 2025The Uganda HVACS revealed high rates of sexual violence against children in refugee settings.
This intervention aimed to proactively identify child and adolescent SV survivors and connect them to care, while also changing norms that help sustain violence, and strengthening child-parent communication and relationships.
In 2022, the Baobab Research Programme Consortium collaborated with government and humanitarian partners to adapt the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) to refugee settings by carrying out the first-ever Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS).
Conducted in all refugee settlements in Uganda, the findings highlighted the high prevalence of sexual violence against children (SVAC) in these contexts. Through a subsequent Data-to-Action workshop, humanitarian stakeholders in Uganda identified the need to address sexual violence (SV); the low rates of disclosure and service-seeking among child and adolescent SV survivors; and shift negative gender norms in communities.
Intervention in the Ugandan school setting
To address these findings, the Baobab Research Programme Consortium (RPC), in partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of Health, UNHCR and Windle International Uganda, led an intervention to test the feasibility of adapting and conducting a screening intervention for children/adolescents in school settings.
Guided by the Bowen et al. (2009) feasibility framework, the research focused on:
Demand: how likely children/adolescents, their families, and the wider community are to use the intervention; and
Acceptability: how suitable, satisfying, or appropriate the intervention is perceived to be by survivors, their caregivers, service providers, and community members.
Aims of the intervention
The intervention aimed to proactively identify child and adolescent survivors of sexual violence and connect them to care, while also changing norms that help sustain violence, and strengthening child-parent communication and relationships. Moreover, the intervention aimed to fill gaps in evidence to enhance sexual and reproductive health and rights among vulnerable populations in refugee settings in the East and Horn of Africa.
This screening intervention was carried out by the MGLSD’s para-social workers (PSWs) in Kiryandongo refugee settlement. 11 PSWs were trained to screen pupils from Primary 6 and 7 in two primary schools. The intervention was implemented from April to October 2024 and included five components: parent dialogues, student sensitization, PSWs training, screening, and referral for SV service provision.
The intervention generated both quantitative data collected via the screening tool, and qualitative data generated via fieldnotes and group interviews. Crucially, the qualitative approach brought children's voices to the fore, a perspective often excluded from research on sensitive topics.
Filling in crucial research gaps
SVAC is a pervasive issue in humanitarian settings in the region. The Uganda HVACS revealed that 19% of females and 10% of males aged 18–24 had experienced SV during childhood, while among 13–17-year-olds, 11% of girls and 12% of boys reported similar experiences. Disclosure rates among SV survivors were low, and help-seeking was even lower. The HVACS also outlined the significant long-term sexual health and mental health impacts of SV.
Screening for SV has been shown to promote child/adolescent survivor disclosure/detection and uptake of SV services in development contexts in East Africa. Despite this knowledge, evidence-based, systematic screening interventions for this population are currently non-existent in this setting. This study contributes to building the evidence base in humanitarian settings.
What were the outcomes?
Demand for the intervention
From the outset, parents demonstrated a strong willingness for their children to be screened for SV and receive care. During parent dialogues and group interviews, many voiced a deep desire to expand the intervention to other school grades, and into the broader community.
We can extend the dialogues to the community [...]. So [...] [all] parents, if they listen to this dialogue very carefully, they will also improve on their [parenting] work, on their behavior with others.
Group interview, female parent
Of the 831 eligible children and adolescents pupils, every one gave their consent to be screened. Of these, 794 were present for the actual screening. 82% of the screened pupils disclosed having experienced some form of SV.
Females mainly disclosed having experienced sexual harassment (49%), while males primarily reported forced viewing of pornographic content (32%). More acute forms of SV were also largely reported, including completed defilement/rape, child marriage/attempted child marriage, and child sexual exploitation/abuse.
Pupils most often identified fellow pupils and neighbors as perpetrators, though for males, relatives were also frequently mentioned. Similarly, among pupils with disabilities, peers and neighbors were the most common offenders.
Additionally, the study reveals that no SV survivor fell through the cracks, as every single pupil who disclosed an experience of SV (653) was connected to appropriate care. All pupils received on-site counselling from PSWs in schools, while approximately one quarter were referred to external services for more comprehensive health and psychosocial support. The police and justice system were involved for the most serious cases, such as completed defilement/rape.
Most children preferred to seek services without parental accompaniment, often due to fear of being blamed.
“I did not tell my mother because if you try to disclose anything to her, she will say you are responsible for this.”
15-year-old girl
It was clear that the school environment, combined with a supportive adult figure like a PSW played a critical role in enabling help-seeking.
Acceptability of the intervention
The intervention had ripple effects in the wider community. Teachers and parents noted improvements in both academic performance and emotional well-being. “My child is now happy and has an interest in studying,” a father remarked proudly.
Stakeholders across the board called for the expansion of the intervention to more grades, schools, and settlements.
I wish it could be scaled up to the entire country… because violence is not just in one refugee settlement."
Group interview, national level Government official
The enthusiasm for sustainability was palpable. Government representatives called for embedding the model into national systems and training more personnel to ensure long-term impacts. NGOs highlighted the urgent need to reach more children and adolescents.
“We had around 18 children (survivors) being referred daily… imagine what could happen if we tackled more schools.” (Group interview, health response partner)
Perhaps the most powerful testimony came from the pupils themselves, who reported feeling seen and heard, describing how the screening gave them confidence and hope.
“At first, I feared disclosing it because no one had ever come to our school to ask us about such sensitive and private matters… Thank you for what your organization is doing.”
16-year-old boy
Teachers and parents also noticed that students were more likely to confide in them, forming stronger bonds of trust. A GBV specialist reflected that: “For once, children were at the center of an intervention.”
What comes next?
The research results were disseminated in March 2025 to a group of 47 stakeholders from the humanitarian, gender-based violence, child protection, education, and health sectors. Convened by the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, the one-day meeting provided a platform for evidence-sharing and hearing the voices and experiences of PSWs.
Following the programming recommendations, the government has incorporated the tested screening model into the National Training Manual for Para-Social Workers and developed an accompanying, user-friendly PSW handbook with a screening section.