In 2023, BIC partnered with Open Society Platform Gambia (OSPG) to monitor the design and implementation of the GIRAV project and found the following:
Research findings established that adult community members were consulted during the project design, and their input was particularly taken into account when designing Matching Grants to enable increased access to credit facilities for women and youth farmers. Additionally, female facilitators engaged with women and youth during the development of Environment & Social documents. Also, project beneficiaries confirmed that the project team conducts community meetings and knowledge-sharing events in national languages. Children, however, were not consulted. The Central Project Coordination Unit (CPCU) staff indicated that "Children are not stakeholders in World Bank Investment Finance Projects, more specifically those under 18 years. They are considered minors.” However, there is a plan to conduct school-based sensitizations on child SEA/H and child labor to reach children in the communities, but it is unclear when this work will actually begin.
The field monitoring visits established that a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Violence against Children (VAC) regional training was conducted by the safeguards team in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender and Children Welfare for all regional stakeholders. Among those included were: Regional Agricultural Directors, Regional Youth Coordinators, Regional Police Commissioners, Regional focal GIRAV officers, traditional authorities, Village development committees (VDCs), Farmer Field school representatives, Regional Women's Bureau Coordinators, and Network Against Gender Violence and community representatives. The main content of the training included SEA/H, GBV, VAC, child labor, forced labor, and the grievance redress mechanism (GRM) to report cases. The aim of the training was to enhance the capacity of stakeholders to mitigate and respond to child SEA/H, GBV, and child labor. Additionally, community representatives attended preliminary community-based sensitization sessions that were aimed at raising awareness of the negative consequences of child labor and forced labor. However, one of the concerns raised by the community representatives trained was that participants may gradually lose part of the content they learned due to a lack of immediate follow-up training and knowledge-sharing materials. These materials could include distribution of information as well as education and communication material (IEC) at the community level to strengthen the knowledge acquired from the initial stakeholder orientation training events.
All project staff, implementing partners (IPs), contractors, subcontractors, and day workers signed a code of conduct which allegedly includes definitions of terms like SEA/H, GBV (rape, sexual assault, denial to access resources/opportunities, etc.), VAC, grooming, and accountability measures to ensure confidentiality of survivors and hold perpetrators responsible. The CoC is written in English but was explained in languages that are easily understood by all stakeholders. Findings established that both the CoC and procurement documents have clauses on SEA/H, GBV, and child labor. The GIRAV staff reported that SEA/H, GBV, and child labor provisions or clauses were included in the contractor or suppliers’ contracts. However, while the CPCU website has been upgraded, project documents have not yet been uploaded.
The findings revealed that a SEA/H action plan was developed and is being implemented with the support of the social safeguard specialist at the CPCU. A Gender-Based Violence and Violence Against Children training was organized by the safeguards team in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender and Children Welfare. Although the GIRAV team is committed to implementing the SEA/H action plan, findings established that community sensitization technical and financial proposals have not been approved since April 2023. This has created a gap in awareness and the dissemination of messages on child SEA/H, GBV, and child labor in communities, yet civil works are expected to begin by November 2023. Additionally, bi-annual stakeholder consultation with political, cultural, or religious leaders; health teams; local councils; social workers; women’s organizations; NGOs; and groups working with children and girls to enhance mitigation and response to SEA/H andGBV risks are not happening as planned.
Findings established that Social Development and Environmental Specialists were hired as per the World Bank recommendation in the Project Appraisal Document. This indicated that the CPCU had proven to have some extended lack of experience in environmental and social safeguards, which makes it challenging to effectively implement some of the activities, including SEA/H and GBV, in the previous projects implemented. Their principal responsibilities include coordination, overseeing the implementation of the SEA/H action plan, and addressing the Environmental and Social issues during project implementation. Both specialists reported participating in a one-day national orientation training conducted by Regional ESS Managers in Banjul. However, CPCU still has limited capacity to support the safeguards implementation of all donor-funded projects. The newly hired Social Development and Environmental Specialists are also in charge of other projects such as the Gambia Agricultural and Food Security Project (GAFSP) and Building Resilience Against Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel (P2RS) project being funded by the AfDB aside from the GIRAV project.
Findings revealed that Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) were established at national and regional levels, but village GRCs have yet to be inaugurated. At the National and Regional levels, the committees included all the relevant stakeholders from the state institutions and non-state actors, such as NGOs representing the interest of the most marginalized people, including women, youth, children, and persons with disabilities. To strengthen the capacities of regional GRC members, training sessions on child SEA/H, GBV, and child labor were conducted in the Central and Upper River Regions (CRR and URR). The training was aimed to support GRC members to adhere to safeguards while protecting the public, particularly marginalized groups including women, youth, children, and persons with disabilities in the project intervention sites.
Additionally, community referral pathways were identified to strengthen and improve the reporting and responding to any form of violation. These include:
(i) The submission of a grievance to the project-level GRC (in case the village GRC level was unable to resolve it. It could then go to the National GRC at the highest level).
(ii) The GIRAV CPCU team has contacted the Public Utility Regulation Authority (PURA) for approval to hire a service provider to develop a toll-free telephone line to support the reporting of cases. The CPCU agreed to share the specifications and terms of reference with OSPG and other stakeholders for review before recruiting the service provider.
(iii) Other channels will include email and letters to project focal points in the regions.
(iv) Walk-ins will register a complaint in grievance complaint log books that are developed by the GIRAV and are being distributed in the communities. The GRC should give feedback on these complaints within 14 days.
Although the Labor Management Procedure provides equal opportunities for men, women, and persons with disabilities on subproject activities without discrimination, findings established that there are no standalone events aimed to include persons with disabilities. However, two people with physical disabilities also participated in the regional SEA/H, GBV, and child labor training. Additionally, project documents such as the Implementation and Status Results Report (ISR) of September 2023 have no specific indicators nor disaggregated data on persons with disabilities.
