Work

Influence of reconciliation programmes on the reconciliation attitudes of war-affected adolescents in Northern Uganda

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Whether post-conflict reconciliation programmes are able to change hostile behaviours is not known. This study sought to assess the influence of reconciliation programmes on the reconciliation attitudes of war-affected adolescents in two communities in Northern Uganda. Four hundred and forty five adolescents within two communities, one with and the other without interventions were assessed for exposure to war-related and daily stressors and place of residence using hierar- chical regression analysis to predict reconciliation attitudes. Adolescents in the non-intervention community recorded more positive and also more negative reconciliation attitudes; exposure to daily and war-related stressors was more positively associated with increasing reconciliation attitudes among adolescents in the non-intervention than those in the intervention community. Overall the programmes recorded limited impact on reconciliation attitudes, perhaps due to the pervasive adverse social situation of the people. Conclusion: there is a need for multi-pronged, collaborative programme efforts targeting holistic recovery programmes with focus on changing negative reconciliation attitudes. Key words: reconciliation attitudes, reconciliation programmes, war-affected adolescents, Northern Uganda

Source: AVRUG-bulletin/Afrika Focus

DOI: 10.21825/af.v29i1.4840

Authors: Benjamin Alipanga, Maarten De Schryver, Stella Neema, Eric Broekaert, Ilse Derluyn

Institutions: Ghent University, Makerere University

Language: English

Topic: War, Law, and Justice

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: VLIRUOS