Who did you tell and why (not)? A mixed methods study of disclosure and help seeking following sexual violence against children in Uganda

ESRC Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) collaborative doctoral studentship

The Department of Social Policy and Intervention, the University of Oxford with AfriChild.

SUPERVISORS

Dr Amiya Bhatia, the University of Oxford

Clare Bangirana, AfriChild

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Background. In Uganda, a national survey found that 35.3% of girls and 16.5% of boys experienced sexual violence before age 18, yet evidence on disclosure and help seeking is limited. In Uganda, there is little research documenting the prevalence of help-seeking across survey and service data and on the institutions, structures and policies, that can support and limit help-seeking after experiences of violence.

Proposed project methods & aims. This is a mixed methods project. The quantitative aim for this project is to assess the prevalence and patterns of disclosure and help seeking among children and young people who experienced violence in Uganda using survey and/or service data. The quantitative analyses could draw on large-scale survey datasets (The Uganda Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) or the Humanitarian VACS), and longitudinal service data (from Uganda’s Child Helpline) to explore patterns and inequalities in help seeking and/or associations between service awareness, service use, and mental health. The qualitative aim for this project is to explore the opportunities and challenges in designing program and policy responses across sectors to prevent and respond to sexual violence against children in Uganda. Qualitative methods could include interviews and focus groups with Child Helpline, service providers, and policy makers in Kampala to explore factors that support or limit disclosure of sexual violence and reimagine ways to improve violence response. No children or adult survivors of sexual violence will be interviewed for this project.

Additional information. This DPhil will be jointly supervised by DSPI and AfriChild, drawing on expertise from both institutions. The DPhil student will join the community of researchers in AfriChild and Oxford, attend seminars, will attend workshops on vicarious trauma prior to data collection and analysis, and have opportunities to be in conversation with academics, researchers, and practitioners during the course of study. This DPhil is flexible to accommodate part-time study.

Applicants may have a background in epidemiology, public health, or social sciences with a qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods or equivalent experience. Applicants should be interested in doing research on violence and child protection and experience of, or interest in, working with partners in the Global South.

PARTNERSHIP

AfriChild is a pioneering child rights non-profit organization in Kampala, Uganda with strong links to government, child rights actors, and policy makers at the regional and national level. AfriChild led Uganda’s largest national survey on violence against children and has completed a large portfolio of studies on violence against children, education, health and pioneered new youth-centred research methodologies. AfriChild holds the data for the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) and Child Helpline data which this project will use. AfriChild also has strong links to practitioners, policy makers, and local and international organisation in Uganda and in East Africa and runs capacity building programs on preventing violence for policy makers, journalists, and academics.

Within AfriChild, Clare Bangirana will co-supervise the student. Bangirana is the Director of Research and Knowledge Development at AfriChild and leads teams to conduct qualitative, participatory, and quantitative research to study violence against children in different contexts including migrant children, street-connected children, and children in residential care. Clare has over 18 years of experience in child protection programme implementation and research with designing, leading, managing and coordinating complex qualitative and quantitative youth-led research projects.

STUDENTSHIP DETAILS

The PhD studentship will be funded by the Grand Union DTP for an expected 3.5 years (or part-time equivalent) from October 2025. The award length offered may differ depending on the candidate’s prior training and how they meet ESRC training requirements. The part-time option is only available to students with a Home status, or those that do not require a Visa for study in the UK.

Information about Grand Union DTP ESRC studentships and eligibility can be found on the Grand Union DTP website.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

12:00 midday UK time on 28 January 2025

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for the studentship, you must submit an application to study for a DPhil in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. Details about applying can be found via: https://www.spi.ox.ac.uk/doctoral. Please note, only the DPhil Social Policy and DPhil Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation are eligible courses.

Your application should include a research proposal that indicates how your proposed research would engage with the core elements of this project if you were offered the studentship. Your proposal may draw on the description of the research detailed above.

In addition you must complete a Grand Union DTP Application Form and upload it, together with your graduate application form. Please ensure you also select 'ESRC Grand Union DTP Studentships in Social Sciences' in the University of Oxford scholarships section of the University's graduate application form.

The admissions process is in two parts: applications will be assessed by the institution and the selected candidate will then be assessed as part of the applicant pool for ESRC Grand Union DTP funding.

QUERIES

Queries about the studentship should be addressed to Dr. Amiya Bhatia (amiya.bhatia@spi.ox.ac.uk).