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

1986年至2006年期间，北方乌干达的冲突破坏了该地区的稳定，阿乔利人遭到大规模暴力和袭击，造成大量战争致残人口，包括被绑架并被迫在冲突中加入上帝抵抗军的前儿童兵。残疾人占乌干达人口的13%，但在受战争影响的北部，这一比例更高（约18%），相当于130万人。残疾人士仍须处理战争遗留问题及应对冲突后环境，因此受到COVID-19的严重影响，包括直接（即感染病毒）及间接（即封锁措施、流动限制及经济衰退，对残疾人士造成社会经济及心理社会影响）。乌干达于2020年3月18日被封锁，2020年7月21日限制放松，尽管病例相对较低（截至2020年11月3日，12，971例，114例死亡）乌干达北方的残疾人，其中一些人还患有与战争有关的创伤后应激障碍，经历了极度忽视，由于缺乏专门针对残疾人的支助措施而受到边缘化和骚扰。该项目汇集了来自布里斯托大学和YOLRED（乌干达社区非政府组织）的专家，以实施一个包容残疾人并由其领导的研究项目，评估COVID-19对受战争影响的残疾人（包括前儿童兵）的影响。该项目将利用创新的基于参与行动的研讨会，这些研讨会以与战争有关的残疾人（他们在很大程度上被排除在流行病恢复措施之外）为中心并由他们领导，使他们成为本研究的共同设计者和共同制作者。16名参与者（即共同研究人员）将与项目小组合作，记录他们在大流行期间的经验，并提供新的证据，为北方乌干达提供针对残疾人的包容性情况分析。共同研究人员将包括6名前儿童兵、6名非战斗人员和4名非战争相关残疾人，其中至少50%为女性（支持SDG 5和SDG10.2）;由于残疾妇女和前残疾儿童兵仍然是该地区最受歧视和最贫困的两个群体，将这些群体聚集在一起也有助于实现可持续发展目标16，并同时起到建设和平的作用，这将有助于促进社会融合和赋权努力，并确保进一步边缘化的人口的包容性。调查结果将为乌干达制定兼顾残疾问题的大流行病恢复战略提供信息，促进决策者和乌干达与《联合国减贫战略文件》一道开展研究，这对乌干达履行其在《残疾人权利公约》（乌干达于2008年批准）下的承诺至关重要，不过调查结果、数据和产出也将可推广到其他受战争影响和冲突后地区。除了对乌干达北方的情况分析和一篇合著的期刊文章外，还将产生三个主要成果，记录共同研究人员的声音和经验，包括白板动画视频，政策报告和一套信息图表。虽然这些经验将来自乌干达北方，但也可推广到战争造成残疾的其他冲突后地区。

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.