Social work with male survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Uganda: the experiences of practitioners and their intervention methods

Sexual violence continues to feature in several conflicts across the globe. Previously, focus has been on women and girls as victims and males as perpetrators and this has shaped intervention and research on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). However, men and boys may also be victims to CRSV. In Northern Uganda, for example, several men and boys fell victim to sexual violence during the 20-year Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) civil war, and young and old male refugees in Uganda have reported sexual violations from ongoing conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and Burundi, among other African countries. However, in response, interventions focus largely on female victims, and male survivors of sexual violence fall through the cracks of service delivery. In addition, ignorance among service providers about sexual violence against men, gender constructions of masculinity, and institutionalised homophobia hinder responses to male survivors of CRSV. The identified gap in service delivery, the lack of understanding of CRSV against men, and the limited insight into social workers’ experience of working with male victims of CRSV was the starting point for this study, which explored the experiences of social work practitioners in Uganda working with male survivors of CRSV and their intervention methods. The study also explored best practices to inform effective social work intervention in similar settings. It used a qualitative approach involving 15 in-depth interviews with social work practitioners working with male survivors of CRSV in Uganda and seven key informants who served in institutional management positions with practice, research, and/or policy experience relating to CRSV against men in Uganda. Data was analysed thematically with the use of the computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software NVivo 11. The study found that social workers in Uganda provided services to male survivors in an environment marked by strong sociocultural and religious norms on gender roles and male identity, wherein gendered responses to sexual violence had had far-reaching impacts. The social workers used their professional principles and skills learned from their generalist training to navigate service delivery and a range of methods and interventions at the individual, family, group, community, and policy levels. Best practices included adherence to social work principles, well-honed interpersonal skills, creating safe spaces, spiritual and cultural sensitivity, gender-inclusive programming, research and documentation, and education and training. The study identified the need for a greater focus on social work with male clients and for the decolonisation of social work education in Uganda. The hostile environment for practice provided social workers with an opportunity to champion human rights and social justice by using a culturally informed framework to break down sociocultural norms that oppressed male survivors.