The Nepal Strategic Road Connectivity and Trade Improvement Project is a $450 million infrastructure project approved by the World Bank on June 10, 2020. According to project documents, the project aims to improve the efficiency and safety of selected transport infrastructure, enhance cross-border trade efficiency, and strengthen Nepal’s capacity to manage its Strategic Road Network. The project’s main components include upgrading a 95 km section of the Nagdhunga-Naubise-Mugling (NNM) Road to two lanes and upgrading the 77 km Kamala-Bagmati (KB) Road to four lanes. Implementation is led by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies.
The World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA) is financing $450 million of the total $801.5 million project cost.
The project’s risk of child sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEA/H) was initially rated substantial due to the influx of workers in communities in and around the project sites. However, through project monitoring and advocacy by BIC and the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO Alliance) — which documented specific SEA/H risks to children and gaps in existing mitigation measures — the additional financing documents approved in March 2025 upgraded the risk rating to high.
The original Project Appraisal Document (PAD) identified several measures to address these SEA/H risks, including: “the identification of partners to provide timely services to survivors of SEA/H; the strengthening of contractor obligations to address SEA/H; the establishment of separate SEA/H grievance redress mechanisms (GRM); and sufficient contract supervision capacity for monitoring SEA performance.”
To address concerns about child SEA/H risks, BIC partnered with the TPO Alliance to assess the implementation of mitigation measures. Our monitoring work has particularly focused on the Nagdhunga-Naubise-Mugling (NNM) Road, which is divided into three sections: I. Nagdhunga-Naubi; II. Naubise-Malekhu; and III. Malekhu-Mugling.
Since 2022, TPO Alliance has conducted fieldwork along the NNM Road, engaging with local leaders, project workers, and community members. BIC and TPO shared findings with the World Bank through several advocacy meetings that called for stronger child-focused SEA/H safeguards. The Bank responded constructively by updating the SEA/H Action Plan to include child-specific measures, contracting with Sahayatri Samaj Nepal (SSN) for gender-based violence (GBV) training and community outreach, and adopting a Code of Conduct that addresses child SEA/H risks. These improvements were later integrated into the design of the additional financing project.
Project monitoring in 2025 confirmed that these commitments led to visible progress, including school-based awareness activities, outreach materials, complaint boxes, and staff training. However, persistent challenges remain, including limited coordination among project actors, low community awareness, and gender dynamics that weaken SEA/H mitigation strategies. BIC and TPO raised these issues during advocacy meetings with the World Bank in May 2025. The Bank agreed with many of the recommendations and committed to continuing to work with the Government of Nepal, contractors, and community organizations to strengthen coordination; engage teachers and nurses as grievance focal points; expand child-sensitive outreach; and address gender inequalities, including wage gaps and unsafe work environments linked to alcohol use.
1) Gaps in the GRM Case-Management Framework
Initial monitoring in 2022 found that the project’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) was not yet operational, even though construction and labor influx had begun a year earlier. BIC and TPO raised this concern with the World Bank, prompting the Bank to work with the borrower to accelerate implementation. By mid-2025, interviews confirmed that a GRM structure was in place, allowing complaints to be submitted online, verbally, or in writing. A GRM Committee — chaired by the Department of Roads and includes representatives from local government, contractors, and consultants — is responsible for reviewing cases and determining responses, from counseling to police referral or job termination. SEA/H and GBV cases are reportedly referred to SSN for support.
Despite this progress, key structural gaps remain. The GRM still lacks a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide case management, including the assessment of case severity and the application of survivor- and child-centered approaches. There are also no formal coordination agreements among district institutions, such as the police, crisis centers, or local NGOs, which limits follow-up and accountability. For example, SSN reported that in suspected SEA/H cases, it could not access information from contractors about actions taken or outcomes.
2) Accessibility and awareness of the GRM and SEA/H campaigns remain limited, particularly in Section III.
A 2023 TPO field visit documented incidents of workers harassing schoolgirls and found minimal awareness of the GRM. TPO recommended stronger visibility and child-friendly access. In response, the Bank committed to supporting GBV training; updating the Nepali Code of Conduct to prohibit child SEA/H; introducing Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials with contact numbers and complaint boxes; and promoting outreach campaigns through the local FM radio.
By 2025, TPO observed that most measures had been rolled out, but highlighted areas for improvement to the World Bank. Interviews continued to reveal that many community members in Section III were still unaware of the GRM or SEA/H campaigns. IEC materials were often placed at construction sites or stored in offices rather than in community spaces accessible to children and youth. Complaint boxes were often located in hidden areas or inside construction offices, which significantly limited their usefulness. The Bank explained that this placement aimed to protect worker privacy but acknowledged the need to improve the accessibility of IEC materials and reporting channels; it also committed to discussing solutions with the borrower and contractors.
3) Project staff are not aware of the updated 2024 SEA/H Plan.
Early project monitoring in 2023 found that female workers were bringing their children to construction sites and that local youth were unaware of SEA/H activities. BIC and TPO recommended that the World Bank collaborate with the Roads Department to integrate child-sensitive risk mitigation measures. In October 2024, the Roads Department issued a revised SEA/H Action Plan that added childcare facilities for female workers and school-based awareness sessions.
However, follow-up interviews in early and mid-2025 revealed that many project personnel — including Roads Department officials, social mobilizers, and the Occupational Health and Safety Officer — were still unaware of the revised plan. Each group reported following its own internal guidance, with little coordination or communication between them. This lack of alignment risks weakening SEA/H commitments and undermining the child-focused safeguards incorporated into the new plan.
4) SEA/H-GBV Training Challenges in Section III
Fieldwork conducted between February and August 2025 found that many workers and project staff in Section III — such as drivers and subcontractors — had not received SEA/H or GBV training yet. Contractors themselves were inadequately trained on GBV-related issues, and SEA/H-GBV awareness-raising activities declined after the SSN’s community social mobilizer contract ended in May 2025 and had not been renewed. As a result, many workers, drivers, and subcontractors may lack a full understanding of the expected Code of Conduct, the consequences of misconduct, and the reporting channels available to them.
Training gaps were linked to high staff turnover, weak coordination between contractors and SSN, and limited incentives for workers to participate in sessions. Some workers viewed training as an additional burden on long workdays, with no tangible benefits such as stipends or certificates.
5) Persistent gender barriers limiting women’s participation
The project is committed to providing both vocational training for women to access skilled jobs in the transport sector and childcare support for female workers. While such programs were implemented primarily for women whose livelihoods were disrupted by road construction, fieldwork conducted in June 2025 found that no such programs had been implemented yet in Section III, despite 26 families identified in the area as needing support.
Gender inequalities continue to limit women’s participation and weaken SEA/H prevention. Women represent only about 6.5 percent of the project workforce and earn less than men (NPR 600 versus NPR 850 per day). The lack of childcare, which forces some women to bring children to work, and widespread alcohol use among male workers further increase safety risks. Although the revised SEA/H Action Plan calls for childcare support, no related measures have been implemented as of August 2025.
The World Bank acknowledged that changing gender norms takes time and has committed to exploring strategies with the borrower to address alcohol-related risks and increase women’s participation in the workforce.
1) Make the GRM more accessible to children and youth.
2) Support the GRM’s case management capacity.
3) Train all project actors on the updated SEA/H Action Plan.
4) Work with the borrower and contractor to address obstacles to SEA/H training, particularly in Section III.
5) Continue efforts to address gender-specific barriers and reduce workplace risks.
