The resilience of female-headed households in a context of husbands' incarceration in Rwanda: An exploratory study of genocide convicts' families from Nyamata sector (Bugesera District)

Abstract

This study explored the resilience of female-headed households in the context of husbands‘ incarceration for charges of genocide crimes. Specifically, it examined the effects of male parental incarceration on the families and found out coping mechanisms used by families to withstand those effects. It also identified challenges that hinder the resilience of affected families and eventually proposed actions to mitigate these hindrances. It is a qualitative study which was conducted in Nyamata Sector, Bugesera District and applied an exploratory design relying on desk review, in-depth interviews and key informants‘ interviews. The research reveals that male parental imprisonment imposed severe adversities on convicts‘ wives, marriage, children, households and relationships. Effects on convicts‘ wives consist of emotional and psychological stress; wives‘ sudden taking of households‘ headship which involved issues associated with single parenting and striving to bridge lost income gap, among others Effects on marriage include the abominable nature of the genocide crime and which is therefore unbearable in the eyes of marital partners; affected conjugal duties such as sexual intercourses; perceived and actual wives‘ infidelity and children born out of wedlock, to name a few. Effects on convicts‘ children relate to the stigma and shame associated with fathers‘ abominable crimes; children‘s early involvement in labor, poor school performance and dropout, early and unintended pregnancies etc. Regarding households, consequences include the loss of income, difficulties to afford human basic needs, the burden of visiting incarcerated parents, and paying for properties that convicts looted or devastated during the genocide. Furthermore, male incarceration damaged relationships both within family members (including some in-laws) and with some community members. Nevertheless, it was found that affected families turned to several coping mechanisms (individual, family, relational, community, organizational and institutional). Despite those capacities, the study identified major hindrances to convicts‘ families‘ optimal resilience to the shock, and proposed mitigating actions.