Lauren Hagee
Methods
All of the research conducted took place at different secondary schools in the Mukono District of Uganda. All of the secondary schools in this district were stratified based on the following criteria: 1) urban or rural, 2) government or private, and 3) large or small. Then, one school was randomly selected from each category. Originally, it was believed that there would be eight schools in total; however, it was discovered that there are not any schools in the rural, government-aided, small category, so research was only conducted at seven schools.
It was the aim of the researcher to interview two different groups of subjects: adults and students. While obtaining the latter group of subjects proved to be easy, the first group, the adults, was difficult to find and were eventually dropped from the study. The adult subjects were required to be a minimum of fifty of age in order to participate in the study. They would have been stratified based on the following criteria: 1) level of education (greater than or less than two years of secondary education; and 2) gender. At each school, one adult would have been found for each category resulting in 4 adult subjects per school. It was discovered that by the time many of the teachers working at a secondary school reached fifty-years-old, they had retired and been replaced by younger teachers. When using the snowball technique to find adult subjects outside of the secondary school arena, the results were equally disappointing. Although there were many prominent members of the community who fit within the age limits, most of them had very little education. Therefore, the research was changed in order to focus more heavily on the students.
A total of 32 students were interviewed for this research. At each school, students were stratified based on: 1) “O” (ordinary: S1-4) and “A” (S5-6) (advanced) level and 2) gender. One student was randomly selected from each category, typically resulting in four students from each school. At two different schools, the S4 level was divided into two different classes based on the students’ academic performances. At these schools, two O level students were interviewed, one from each category, in each of the two different classes in order to get a more accurate result. Upon arriving at one school, it was discovered that the headmaster had decided to discontinue the A-level program due to lack of funding. At this school, four O-level students were interviewed instead of the usual two O-level and two A-level.
Each subject participated in a personal, semi-structured interview with the researcher. These interviews were conducted one-on-one and included questions dealing the students’ opinions and beliefs about the subject of human rights. In each interview, the researcher took handwritten notes. All of the subjects signed a consent form which included consent to be recorded, and a digital voice recording was taken as well. These recordings were used only as an aid when the researcher was transferring the handwritten notes to a Word document and were not directly transcribed. These consent forms were also signed by the headmaster acting as a legal guardian if the student was under 18 years of age. The interview typically lasted between fifteen and twenty minutes. All of the students were asked the same questions in the same way (see interview schedule in appendix F); however, due to a small language barrier, questions had to be repeated and re-worded multiple times for some of the students. The researcher tried to re-word these questions without adding any bias. While the schools are conducted in English, many of the students still did not understand enough English to sufficiently grasp what was being asked of them. Likewise, many of the students may have understood the question, but did not know enough English to aptly express their thoughts on the subject.
Data
The data obtained was gained solely and directly from the interviews conducted. Due to the qualitative nature of the data, qualitative analysis methods were used to find common themes and patterns within and across the interviews.
Findings
The Present Situation in Uganda Regarding Human Rights
During the interview, students were asked what they believed was the current situation in Uganda regarding human rights. All but one of the students (97%) were able to answer the question. It is uncertain whether the student who failed to answer did not understand what was being asked or did understand but could not provide an answer. Only one student (3%) gave a positive report about the situation of human rights. The rest of the students were split nearly in half on their opinions. Fifteen (48%) of the students interviewed gave negative opinions, explaining that there are many people in Uganda who are not receiving their human rights, while 14 (45%) students expressed a mixed opinion. These students with mixed opinions believed that although there are some who are not receiving their human rights, the Ugandan government is working very hard to remedy the situation.
When discussing the situation of human rights in Uganda, a majority of the students (56%) believed that that Uganda has serious problems when it comes to children’s rights and that children are the most likely to be denied their human rights. Within this theme, students discussed the problem of child abuse, “street children” or homeless children, and education. Seven students interviewed cited child abuse as one of the ways children are not receiving their human rights. Of these seven, only one student believed that the government had made strides in the right direction by creating strict laws against child abuse (F S4 K). The other six students believed that children in Uganda are suffering abuse at the hands of their parents and stepparents. Students also identified that street children or homeless children do not have the fees required to attend even the government-aided schools. Five students believed, therefore, that street children were denied their very basic rights. Upon losing their homes, parents or both, these children have turned to the streets with no means of acquiring food, clothing, and shelter, and, according to the students interviewed, no one to help them. In terms of children’s rights to education, several students agreed that the government had made some improvements in promoting universal education. However, over half of the students explained that although USE and UPE have been created, they have not reached or benefitted the deep villages. Many children who do not live in the towns still do not have access to schools; if they do have access, the schools have very little facilities and the education received at these schools is not of a good quality.
When discussing the current situation of human rights in Uganda, 11 (35%) of the students interviewed talked about corrupt government. While a corrupt government is not in itself necessarily a violation of human rights, the acts committed by such a government can be. Five of the students felt that the Ugandan election system is flawed. Article 21.3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states,
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Four of the students discussed the problem of nepotism and discrimination within the government, while one student mentioned the 2006 presidential elections, which Museveni won, but under suspicious circumstances (M S6 B). Along the same lines, five students interviewed felt that the current Ugandan government does not afford everyone the freedom of speech. Those students explained that the government will arrest journalists who report anything negative about the politicians or government. One student reported that the government will arrest and torture people for no apparent reason, while another student explained that people in Uganda have had their property unjustly seized (M S6 M; M S4 B). According to these students, the government is to blame for many human rights violations.
When discussing human rights in their country, seven students (22%) talked about women’s rights. Two of these students believed that the situation of women in Uganda had improved. The liberation movement allowed women the right to vote and work alongside men; however, the other five students all felt that women were at risk for human rights violations. One student explained that women still live “backward,” and agreed with two other students that women are at risk for domestic abuse (M S4 S). According to two other students, women are also at risk for rape. Both of these students talked about rape within the school. They explained that teachers often rape female students, but if accusations are made, the teacher will deny the claims and fail the student (F S4 C; F S6 C).
According to six (19%) of the students, people with little or no money are often the victims of human rights violations as the poor are not able to afford the education necessary to earn a living. Two of these students pointed out that for this very reason, many people in Uganda are living without such basic needs as clothing. Students also identified poverty as a challenge for human rights due to government corruption in the example of the corrupt judicial system. A few students explained that the poor are disadvantaged if they are put on trial as many judges accept bribes, ensuring that the richer party will win the case.
Surprisingly, only six students (19%) mentioned the war in the north between the government and the LRA when asked about the present situation in Uganda with regard to human rights. Given that the arrest warrant issued by the ICC for Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, cites 33 counts of human rights violations, it was expected that a majority of the students would discuss the 21-year conflict when talking about human rights in their country. Half of the students who did mention the LRA in their interview explained that the government was currently involved in peace talks, but that human rights violations were still occurring. All of these students mentioned such offenses as murder, rape, kidnapping and torture being performed by the rebel armies, all human rights violations.
Although the results were different than what the researcher predicted, the findings are no less useful. This research provides insight into the understanding and perceptions of the younger Ugandan generation when it comes to human rights.