Central African Republic
Many countries around the world are locked in a cycle of poverty, conflicts and destruction. Few, however, have received as little attention as the Central African Republic (CAR). Since its independence from France in 1960, CAR has been embroiled in a cycle of military coups attempts and violent power transitions, leaving the country fragmented, underdeveloped and violent.
Addressing Armed Conflicts and the Path to Peace in the Central African Republic
Successive governments have had little control outside of the capital Bangui, and instability has been aggravated by warlords, rebels and mercenaries, who freely use remote rural areas as bases for their operations. Several peacekeeping forces and investigations by the International Criminal Court into serious crimes allegedly committed in CAR have made international news, but the situation remains relatively unknown, especially in comparison with conflicts in neighboring Darfur and Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet, this is a critical time for CAR.
Conflicts in Darfur and the Lord’s Resistance Army’s presence in the south-east of the country highlight the need for a regional approach to security. Internally, the challenges are to address the presence of several armed groups, hold presidential elections, and disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate former combatants. This study aims to provide a better understanding the scope and magnitude of violence in CAR and its consequences, as well as a snapshot of what the citizens of CAR believe is the best way to restore peace and rebuild their country. The goal is to inform the development of policies that will affect survivors’ individual and collective lives for years to come.
Objectives
Since 2007, the Initiative for Vulnerable Populations at UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center has undertaken research to document the experience of conflict-affected populations and give voice to survivors of mass violence. The survey in CAR aimed at capturing opinions and attitudes about the impact of past and ongoing conflicts on the population and attitudes about peace, justice, and social reconstruction. The specific objectives of the survey were to:
Assess the overall exposure to violence among the population as a result of war and human rights abuses since 2002, as well as domestic violence
Understand the priorities and needs of civilians affected by the armed conflict
Measure the sense of security and levels of protection perceived by the population
Examine social cohesion and community participation
Capture attitudes about peace and social reconstruction, including the reintegration of former combatants
Capture opinions and attitudes about different conflict-resolution and justice mechanisms, including perception of the national court system and perception of the International Criminal Court
The methodology and objectives of the study are similar to other studies conducted by the Initiative in Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. However, the questionnaire and methodology reflect the specificity of the nature and concerns prevailing in CAR at the time of the survey. The research findings are aimed at supporting non-governmental organizations, government and international agencies, and local and international courts in developing a response strategy to the violence and humanitarian crisis in CAR.
Methodology
Research Design and Sample
This report is based on a cross-sectional survey of adult residents in five regions of the Central African Republic: the capital city Bangui, and the prefectures of Lobaye, Ombella M’Poko, Ouham, and Ouham Pende. These areas were chosen to reflect the range of conflicts in CAR and to provide geographic representation from North to South, accounting for over half the population (52%).
In each region, a systematic random selection method was used to sample villages proportionately to population size, then households, and finally individuals, for interviews. Villages were randomly selected from a comprehensive list using the 2003 general population census data. A total of 117 villages were selected, with 6 replaced due to local instability and/or inaccessibility.
Within the villages, interviewers were assigned to zones where they selected every other household in a randomly chosen direction, starting from the center. A household was defined as people normally sleeping under the same roof and eating together. In each household, one adult was randomly selected for an interview. Three attempts were made to contact a household or individual before replacing them.
The minimum sample size for each prefecture and Bangui was 352 individuals, totaling 1,760. Out of 2,192 households approached, 1,879 agreed to participate (86% participation rate). Within these households, 1,969 individuals were approached, and 1,879 participated (95% participation rate, one individual per participating household).
Research Instruments
Interviews were conducted using a standardized semi-structured questionnaire covering (1) respondents’ demographics, (2) priorities and services, (3) health, (4) social cohesion and community relations, (5) security and conflict resolution, (6) domestic violence, (7) peace, (8) justice and accountability, (9) the International Criminal Court, (10) non-judicial measures for victims and reparations, (11) exposure to violence, and (12) psychological impact of the conflicts. The questionnaire was developed by experts in the field and after consultation with local experts. Response options based on pilot interviews were provided to the interviewer for coding, but were never read to study participants with the exception of questions employing a scaling format (e.g., Likert scale). An open-ended field was always available to record complete responses.
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The questionnaire and consent documents were first developed in French and then independently translated into Sango, the primary local language spoken throughout the country. An independent back-translation and pilot surveys were used to finalize and validate the instruments. Once the questionnaire was finalized, it was programmed into a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) using KoBo, our custom data collection package.[2] The use of PDAs enables enumerators to enter the data directly as they conduct interviews. The forms contain a built-in verification system that reduces the risk of skipping questions or entering erroneous values, resulting in higher quality of the data. Daily synchronization with a central computer allows the lead researchers to check data for consistency and outliers during data collection.
Data Collection and Analysis
Data collection took place during six weeks between November and December 2009. Five teams of two men and two women, for a total of twenty interviewers, implemented the study under the guidance of the lead researchers. The interviewers were university students or professionals with research experience. Prior to data collection, they participated in an eight-day training covering the study objectives and content, survey and interview technique, the use of the PDA, and trouble shooting and solving technical problems.[3] The training included mock-interviews and pilot-testing with randomly selected individuals at non-sampled sites.
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At the survey sites, each interviewer was expected to conduct four interviews per day, each lasting an average of one hour. One-on-one interviews were conducted anonymously in a confidential setting. Due to the sensitivity of some of the questions, the interviewers were assigned to same-sex respondents. Upon selection of study participants, oral rather than written informed consent was obtained because of the high illiteracy rate in CAR. After data collection, the data were imported for analysis with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). All the results presented here accounted for the complex sampling methodology and weight factors.
Limitations
There are several limitations inherent to the method and context of the study. The sample was designed to be representative of the region under study, not for the whole of CAR, since only part of the country was included in the survey. Some villages, households, and individuals had to be replaced, and how the replaced individuals differ from those interviewed is unknown. In addition, it is possible that responses were influenced by inaccurate recall, social desirability and concerns over safety in areas affected by armed conflict. The training, use of a consent form, anonymous interviews, confidentiality, supervision, and quality control were all designed to reduce biases and errors. Constructs and terminology used for this study were not defined or explained to the participants to avoid influencing them. As a result, they were free to interpret those concepts based on their own understanding. To address this limitation, we asked respondents to define key concepts (e.g., peace, justice), and throughout the questionnaire, we carefully chose phrasing and translation that would avoid misunderstanding.
Authors
Phuong Pham and Patrick Vinck led the design of the survey and data collection in the Central African Republic, and wrote this report.
Patrick Vinck is the Director of the Program for Vulnerable Populations at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard School of Public Health and Research Associate Professor at the Payson Center for International Development, Tulane University (pvinck@hsph.harvard.edu).
Phuong Pham is the Director of Evaluation and Implemention Science at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard School of Public Health and Research Associate Professor at the Payson Center for International Development, Tulane University (ppham@hsph.harvard.edu).
Acknowledgement
This research would not have been possible without the voluntary participation of the respondents. We are grateful to the interviewers who have conducted an outstanding work in difficult conditions, and to all the individuals and organizations who have helped us along the way. For confidentiality reasons, individual acknowledgements will not be listed here. However, this report would not have been possible without their support.
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At the Human Rights Center, Mobile Technology Specialist Neil Hendrick contributed to the field supervision and programming of the PDAs for data collection. Camille Crittenden and Liza Jimenez navigated the administrative hurdles and production and editing of the report. Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter contributed to the background research. Austin McKinley provided the original illustration on the cover. Nicole Hayward designed the report.
