The role of institutional care in protecting children against violence: a case of M-lisada Organisation in Makindye Division, Kampala

Abstract

This study sought to analyze and assess the role childcare institutions (in this particular case –M-LISADA) play in protecting children from violence. It was, accordingly, premised on three (3) specific objectives, namely; the measures put in place to protect children against violence, measures in the organization to protect children exposed to violence while still on the streets and the challenges faced while protecting children exposed to violence. A descriptive research design was adopted for this study and a qualitative approach was used to obtain information to provide more light on the role M-LISADA plays in protecting children from violence. This study has shown that children are highly vulnerable to various forms of violence however the physical, verbal and psychological abuses are the most predominant. M-LISADA plays a significant role in protecting children without excluding those still on streets as the organization uses music, life skills, counselling, psychosocial support, M-LISADA library and other programs to protect the most vulnerable group of our community. However, the organisation faces difficulties such as lack of information about the violence due to the fact that some children do not report their cases and resistance from the parents and community which reduce M-LISADA effectiveness while protecting children exposed to violence. The findings of this study have a number of important implications for future practice and it is, therefore, important for M-LISADA organization to evaluate the success of programs that are initiated to combat children violence as the evaluation could inform us whether programs are being implemented as designed and the extent to which they are meeting the objectives. And further work is required to explore physically-abused children’s experiences of how child welfare workers include them in the investigation process and decisions concerning eventual interventions, with a special focus on how children make sense of the process.