Since the start of the road construction, movement of agricultural produce to markets in Kamwenge and Kabarole has improved. Easy access to markets has greatly improved household incomes which directly translate to improved welfare of children within these households, including increased retention of children in school. The project has increased women’s participation in income generating activities such as roadside retail trading or vending of food and crafts for travelers and road construction workers. Engaging in small business has greatly empowered women to better look after their children in terms of education, access to health services and nutrition. By responding constructively to Panel investigations, taking proactive steps to provide assistance to the impacted individuals, and establishing preventative measures, the Bank has supported efforts to prevent gender violence on a broader scale and address the systemic failures that allowed this harm to go unaddressed. This case embodies the potential for specific instances of harm to provide the necessary catalyst for improved accountability structures and system-wide change.
Despite economic benefits, a number of harmful effects were reported as a direct result of the project. The influx of workers employed by the construction company, along with those looking for jobs with the construction company, is widely associated with an increase in sexual abuse and assault of girls in the area. The sexual assaults have led to girls having to leave school: within just one school term nine girls from the same secondary school dropped out because they were pregnant. All the cases were attributed to the Kamwenge-Kabarole road construction staff, and all affected children lived in Kitonzi, Businge and Kyabyoma villages, close to the main residential areas for road construction workers.
Boys have also dropped out of school to get employment as laborers, but girls seem to be more at risk given that the impacts to them can be more devastating and permanent — including rape, sexual assault, pregnancy, and early marriage. Additionally, concerns about the safety of workers on the project and about lack of compensation for community members whose land was taken for the project, have been raised.
On September 28, 2015, a Request for Inspection was registered by the Inspection Panel, an independent complaints mechanism for people and communities who believe that they have been, or are likely to be, adversely affected by a World Bank-funded project. The Request contained allegations relating to road safety, compensation for land acquisition, road workers’ sexual relations with minor girls, and sexual harassment of female employees.
On October 22, the Bank suspended the financing for the project. After the Government of Uganda and the government contractor did not take corrective steps, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim announced the cancellation of funding to the Uganda Transport Sector Development Project due to “contractual breaches related to workers’ issues, social and environmental concerns, poor project performance, and serious allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse by contractors.”
Bank management stated that it will take action on the project even while the Inspection Panel continues its investigation. The Bank has committed to working with the government to support affected communities, conducting reviews to assess related risks in programs in Uganda, and commissioning its own review of the project. On January 8th, the Bank suspended the disbursement of funds for civil works in two other projects in Uganda, the North Eastern Road-Corridor Asset Management Project and the Albertine Region Sustainable Development Project. These are pending review of capacity to adhere to the required environmental and social standards.
The overall response from the World Bank was unprecedented. The management response admitted serious policy violations including around preparation of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), as well as supervision and monitoring. This transparent attitude resulted in proactive steps from the Bank, including hiring several NGOs to provide services to survivors and get children back into school before the investigation concluded.
After the investigation was complete, additional measures to support the affected communities were implemented, including:
In addition to the measures put in place to address the affected communities directly, the Bank also took several steps to address systemic failures. These included:
Girls and community members report both verbal and physical abuse as they walk to and from school, usually very early in the morning and late in the evening. The influx of labourers has also increased opportunities for small scale businesses, which also exposes more girls to sexual abuse and assault. Secondary school girls reported in the FGDs that they were closely involved in helping their mothers in this business. Although some had not completely dropped out of school, their contribution to the business required them to sell food along the road early in the morning before they reported to school, or late in the evenings. The now thriving night food market that operates from 8 pm has proved to be both an opportunity and a threat, increasing vulnerability to sexual assault and abuse.
According to adult community respondents, child sex work and exploitation of the girl child are also on the increase. Because of the demand from the influx of migratory road construction workers within these communities, the price of transactional sex is inflated. The majority of the workers have migrated to work without their families. This combined with less social accountability to these new communities and increased income have led to an upsurge in the demand for commercial sex. School girls have therefore been lured to drop out of school and engage in the trade. Additionally, because of the increased charges by sex workers, the labourers now tend to prey on young girls, offering them between money for sex; or simply attacking them when they refuse. The police and community leaders are not willing to address the issue and instead insinuate that the girls are somehow to blame for the violence they face.
Many of the construction workers hail from districts outside the project site, and it was reported that several of them have left their work stations with girls from Kamwenge and not returned. In some cases, this has been reported to the police but follow up has been difficult as there are no clear records of the workers or where they originate. A police officer in Bigodi reported that the newly vibrant nightlife of the town has posed challenges in knowing the actual number of girls who have been affected. An attempt to create a register for residences has failed, and there is no record of how many girls have left the district either willingly or by coercion. Community members reported that even when the police are willing to apprehend the perpetrator, sometimes this is not possible as he may simply relocate, or negotiate with the girl’s parents to marry her off.
As a result of the increased economic opportunities created by the road construction, both boys and girls have either been lured to work by the possibility of financial gain or required by their parents to earn money to contribute to the families’ support. Boys are dropping out of school to become full time casual labourers, or skipping some school days to work so that they can help their parents pay school fees. With the minimum earnings reportedly about twenty thousand shillings a week the temptation is high for both children and families to opt for casual labour over education. To make matters worse, the boys are not provided any protection while at work and are at high risk of bodily harm from occupational hazards, without any provision for medical cover. As a result, the children’s education is being compromised while exposing them to injury and disability.
The respondents reported an increase in the number of accidents resulting from speeding trucks associated with the construction. The trucks are very old with poor or no breaks. Heavy stones are carried in the back with no protective back covers, and due to the high speed the stones sometimes 11 fall off, hurting people—and children—close by. The construction company has not demarcated dangerous spots or put signs in dangerous areas.
There is also evidence of total lack of participation and consultation with the district and local leadership. According to community members, they have never been visited by any World Bank officials, and if Bank did consult with anyone, they stopped at the District and construction company offices. The World Bank safeguards need to ensure that before implementation of the projects, the local leadership and community are consulted. This way, the community can be provided with all the necessary information concerning the project, and in case of any harm caused by the project, the appropriate grievance mechanism to which they can appeal. There was no evidence of oversight on whether the policies were being implemented by local government actors or the construction company.
Executive Director
Tel: +1 (202) 624-0634
Email: eberger@bankinformationcenter.org
