Implementing participatory-action research to explore the impact of COVID on war-affected disabled populations, including ex-child soldiers, in Uganda

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The conflict in Northern Uganda, which destabilised the region between 1986-2006, saw large-scale violence and attacks carried out against the Acholi people, which has resulted in a sizeable war-disabled population, including former child soldiers who were abducted and forced to serve in the conflict under the Lord's Resistance Army. Persons with disabilities (PWD hereafter) make up 13% of the Ugandan population, though this percentage is higher in the war-affected North (approximately 18%), equating to 1.3 million people. Still dealing with the legacy of the war and navigating the post-conflict environment, PWD have been severely impacted by COVID-19, both directly, i.e. contracting the virus, and indirectly, i.e. the lockdown measures, mobility restriction, and economic downfall which has had a socio-economic and psychosocial impact on PWD. Uganda was put on lockdown on 18th March 2020, with restrictions easing on 21st July 2020, and though cases are comparatively low (12,971 cases, 114 deaths as of 3rd November 2020) PWD in Northern Uganda, some of whom also suffer from war-related post-traumatic stress disorder, have experienced extreme neglect, marginalisation and harassment due to a lack of disability-specific support measures. This project brings together experts from the University of Bristol and YOLRED (a Ugandan community-based NGO) to implement a disability-inclusive and led research project, to assess the impact of COVID-19 on war-affected disabled populations, including former child soldiers. This project will utilise innovative participatory-action based workshops which centre, and are led by, people with war-related disabilities (who have largely been excluded from pandemic recovery measures), by making them co-designers and co-producers of this research. 16 participants (i.e. co-researchers) will work with the project team to document their experiences during the pandemic and provide new evidence to produce a disability-specific and inclusive situational analysis for Northern Uganda. Co-researchers will comprise of 6 ex-child combatants, 6 non-combatants, and 4 persons with non-war related disabilities, with at least 50% women (to support SDG5 and SDG10.2); as both women with disabilities and ex-child soldiers with disabilities remain two of the most stigmatised and impoverished groups in the region, bringing these groups together also attends to SDG16 and doubles as a peacebuilding, reintegration and empowerment effort, and ensures inclusivity of further marginalised populations. Findings will inform disability-inclusive pandemic recovery strategies for Uganda by promoting research uptake amongst policymakers and with UNPRPD Uganda, which is critical for upholding Uganda's commitments under the CRPD (which Uganda ratified in 2008), though findings, data and outputs will also be scalable to other war-affected and post-conflict regions. In addition to a situational analysis for Northern Uganda and a co-authored journal article, three main outputs will be produced which document the voices and experiences of the co-researchers, including whiteboard animated videos, a policy report, and a set of infographics. Whilst these experiences will be derived from Northern Uganda, they will be transferable to other post-conflict regions where war-related disabilities are widespread.