The research aimed at finding out the extent to which OPM protects women refugees against physical violence in Uganda, using the case of Lobule Camp in Koboko (West Nile). The research objectives were to determine the role of OPM in the provision of integrated services to the refugee women, the challenges faced by OPM while providing the necessary services to the refugees and possible measures to overcome these challenges. The research also sought to find out the impact of other institutions in protecting the refugees generally, and the wellbeing of women refugeesparticularly. The research employed a descriptive design, which involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, to collect data using questionnaires and interviews designed for both male and female refugees.
The data collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) — mainly through descriptive statistics relating to frequency counts, mean, standard deviation and analysis of individual cases — revealed that OPM plays a pivotal role in coordinating services to ensure the protection of female 45 refugees from arbitrary deprivation and violence. However, it noted that the department of OPM in charge of refugees is mainly constrained by staff making, it difficult to put up and implement policies for the protection of female refugees. The research also found out that the male refugees were the main perpetrators of violence against female refugees and that the level of physical violence at Lobule camp was high.The research suggests a number of recommendations to overcome physical violence, and these include enforcing punitive measures to offenders, mass sensitization of women on their rights, integrating refugees in self-help projects to reduce redundancy and encouraging education for all refuges on the importance of protecting the human rights of others.