Examining how anti-torture organisations might learn from the ways in which CBOs in Kenya and Uganda work to support survivors of violence

There is an old criticism that human rights organisations do not represent victims and that the more professional they become the more distant they grow from the victims (Shetty, 2014). In examining State violence, human rights organisations and the invisibility of the poor in Nairobi C. Christiansen, S. Jensen and T. Kelly notes the existence of a difference on how human rights organisation responds to different cases of torture and human rights violations in the informal settlements in Nairobi, they further explores how the difference in response might inform the potential and limits of human rights work in conditions of entrenched poverty and violence (C. Christiansen., 2019).
While aknowledging that HROs have had great successes in the prevention and reparation of torture globally; there is a growing awareness that the scale of torture and the affected populations could be much larger than the groups which human rights organisations have historically focused upon. Not only do HROs have limited resources, they may not always be trusted by populations rendered vulnerable by oppressive and harmful actors and structures. Many survivors may therefore beyond the reach of human rights groups. At the same time, there could be a range of CBOs with closer proximity to survivors that are often their first point of contact. These CBOs often have very different methods and aims from those typically associated with human rights groups. This study therefore seeks to examine how anti-torture organisations might learn from the ways in which community organisations formally and informally approach, relate to and work to support the survivors of torture, violence and inhumane degrading treatment.
The study will be guided by 4 specific objectives including; to explore the establishment process of the specific CBOs, to establish how the CBO reaches out to recruit survivors of violence in the community, to examine the programs and strategy used by the CBO in supporting the survivors of violence, and to establish the challenges and recommendations in program implementation by the CBOs. The study will adopt a Community Based Institutional Ethnography- CBIE methodology. CBIE is a unique methodological approach that employs a fusion/combination between the Community based research methods and Institutional Ethnography (Mykhalovskiy & McCoy, 2002). The study will target locations with both the existence of CBOs as well as survivors of violence in both Kenya and Uganda among other factors. In Kenya, the informal settlements of Mathare and Kibira would be ideal while in Uganda, the informal settlements of Kabalagala, Rubaga, Kansanga, Katwe and Nsambya would be ideal. The study will be designed in 5 main stages including; identification and selection of CBOs (online), identification of gate keepers and developing initial contact, Initial field contact, contact with gate keepers, identification of CBOs on the ground and making contact and entry process, data collection (general then research question led), inductive and deductive latent thematic data analysis and finally presentation.