| dc.description.abstract | Sexual violence is an everyday reality for many in war-affected communities - for men and women. The extensiveness of sexual violence across global conflicts, including that of northern Uganda, has brought it increasingly to the attention of academics and policy-makers. However, global attention continues to bypass male victims, whose challenges in life post-violation are often left unattended. Using the case-study of northern Uganda, this thesis argues that stories constructed by civil society organisations to portray the situation concerning conflict-related sexual violence maintain an exclusion of male victims, both discursively and materially. I zoom in on the discourse to action process that civil society organisations engage in when aiming to mobilise responses. This thesis highlights the deliberate emphasis of certain attributes that accentuate female victimisation and male perpetration. Such attributions proliferate the action taken, or in the case of male victims, not taken, to address the phenomenon. While these simplified stories find resonance with national and international actors, the experiences of victims tell a different story. Therefore, a platform is provided to analyse the dynamic interactions between actors in their plight to present their preferred story, whilst also presenting the real consequences for male victims. This research constructs a strengthened understanding of not only the plight of male victims, but also how their post-conflict situation is shaped by civil society. Hereby, this thesis adds to academic debates concerning the use of discourse for mobilisation, whilst also contributing to critical reflections upon responses to conflict-related sexual violence. Furthermore, a basis is provided for altering discursive practices to allow male victims of conflict-related sexual violence in northern Uganda to be recognised both in speech and action. | |
