Mediating Effect of Gender Based Violence on the Fit of Public Health Consequences and Societal Impact of Refugees in Uganda

Abstract

Purpose: The current study was undertaken to establish the mediating effect of gender based violence on the fit of public health consequences and societal impact of refugees in Uganda so as to come up with a unified model for improvements in Uganda. The main objective was to investigate the mediating effect of gender based violence on the fit of public health consequences and societal impact of refugees in Uganda.

Materials and Methods: In an effort to address the set objective, a cross-sectional survey design which followed both quantitative and qualitative research approaches was adopted.  Data was collected from a total quantitative sample of 311 refugees. A qualitative sample of 68 of refugee stakeholders’ and officials from office of the Prime Minister in Uganda was determined by saturation point approach. The data was analysed at descriptive and inferential level, and later a Path Equation Model was fitted through Structural Equation Modelling in Stata Version 14.0.

Findings: The key references in the study are (Moretti, S.,2021) who aver that in accordance with Division of International Protection, Gender based violence is preventable and UNHCR is committed to promoting gender equality and human rights and to protecting refugees and other persons of concern from GBV as well as (Heise,2018) who had earlier found Gender based violence brings negative public health consequences thus impacting society negatively. The overall result in regard to Gender Based Violence among refugees in Bidibidi camp indicate that it is highly practiced (M = 5.32, SD = 0.88). The results also indicated exists there exists a positive significant influence of Gender Based violence on public health consequences of the refugees (r = 0.379). The study results on the overall shows average level of social impact amongst the refugees (Mean = 3.26) but with a very high level of discrepancy (SD = 1.07> 0.5) with some refugees and stakeholders reporting good levels of society impact. This relationship is statistically significant since the associated p – value of 0.000 is less than 0.05 (p < 0.001). The study concluded that that sufficient evidence substantiates significant relationship exists between gender based violence and societal impact.

Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Finally, the gender based violence and the other strategies had a total causal effect of 11.57% on societal impact. However, the society impact referred to only applied to the current environment which did not promise continued Survival into the future. Given that fact the study has proposed the Protracted Gender based Violence Diminution Model (PROGBVD MODEL) which guarantees not only societal impact but also tremendous reduction in gender based violence to an additional 21.2% to make it 32.77% sustained reduction.  This, therefore, means that if the new Model is adopted, the refugees will not only be provided reduced Gender based Violence for a short period of time but will get it for many years to come. The Protracted Gender based Violence Diminution Model (PROGBVD MODEL) is, henceforth, the current study contribution to knowledge.