Uganda: Beyond 'vulnerable groups': Effective protection of IDPs

The Refugee Law Project (RLP) conducted over 100 in-depth interviews in Gulu and Kitgum districts in early June 2006. In a context where nearly all residents of Gulu and Kitgum are displaced, government and humanitarian actors have increasingly sought to target those with the greatest need through the identification of 'vulnerable groups'. This amorphous population has typically included women, children, the sick, disabled and elderly. Taken together, these groups in fact form the majority of the internally displaced population of Northern Uganda, making the term 'vulnerable' almost meaningless.