'You are beaten if you are bad...You woman you have made your husband tired': investigating gender-based violence in Northern Uganda

This thesis explores gender violence in contemporary Northern Uganda. It examines different perceptions of the causes of gender violence and contextualises gender violence in an analysis of Northern Uganda’s social and gender relations. Starting with the forced marriages that occurred within the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the thesis investigates how we can interpret this violence in the context of gender relations in the region. The extreme violence that occurred within LRA marriages is often seen as an isolated phenomenon, but is this accurate? To what extent was it influenced by pre-existing attitudes towards gender violence in society? Moreover, did the high levels of gender violence present in the LRA impact violence in post-conflict society? This thesis shows that high levels of violence against women exist in society, and women’s experiences of violence differ. Formerly abducted women face stigmatisation which limits their choice of partners, potentially resulting in further marginalisation and vulnerability. It contributes to debates on the gendered consequences of the LRA conflict, Sex and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Africa, and the tension between international law and local approaches to justice