VZCZCXRO1136
RR RUEHGI RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHKM #1785/01 3241314
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201314Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9658
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 001785 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL UG
SUBJECT:  HUMAN RIGHTS NGO CRIES FOUL; ACCUSES INGOS OF MISTREATING 
WORKERS IN NORTHERN UGANDA 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  Human Rights Focus (HRF), a widely respected local 
human rights organization, reported the dissatisfaction of some 
Ugandans working for international non-governmental organizations 
(INGOs) in northern Uganda.  In the report released in September 
2007, workers reportedly complained of mistreatment and intimidation 
in the workplace and said that incidents of sexual and financial 
exploitation in the hiring process were prevalent.  The report, 
however, does not specifically name individuals or organizations in 
connection with the alleged abuse.  Several respected human rights 
advocates, international aid workers, and even one outspoken local 
politician have questioned the report's lack of supporting evidence, 
and cautioned against going after the INGOs.  The GOU has remained 
largely silent on the issue since the press reports broke on October 
¶29.  While we do not believe there to be a widespread problem with 
workers' rights violations within the INGO community, the HRF stands 
firmly behind the report.  End Summary. 
 
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HRF Report Causes Ripples 
------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Human Rights Focus (HRF) surprised the international 
non-governmental community (INGO) with allegations of worker and 
civil rights violations by INGOs in Gulu, northern Uganda in a 
September 2007 report.  Local INGO workers interviewed for the 
report complained of "unfair" and "abusive" hiring practices, citing 
incidents of corruption, extortion, and sexual exploitation.  The 
55-page document, "Fostering the Transition in Acholiland:  From War 
to Peace, from Camps to Home," dedicated only a few pages to the 
issue, but media coverage and discontent over the severity of the 
allegations and the lack of specific examples has overshadowed the 
report's primary focus. 
 
¶3.  (U) Local INGO employees told HRF that their foreign employers 
were often disrespectful and dismissive.  They complained of low 
wages in comparison to their equally qualified foreign counterparts, 
poor working conditions, and a failure to comply with Ugandan labor 
laws.  Attempts to raise concerns within the unnamed INGOs have been 
met with warnings or even termination of employment, the report 
alleged.  The HRF noted, however, that unspecified steps were taken 
by some INGOs to create a more inclusive and positive work 
environment. 
 
¶4.  (U) The "most directly exploitive and abusive" were the 
high-ranking Ugandan male INGO workers who often demand financial 
and sexual favors as compensation for employment, the report 
alleges.  Personnel changes and informational campaigns, according 
to the report, have helped to reduce the number of more egregious 
cases.  Some evangelical INGOs reportedly demanded that employees 
alter their religious belief for employment. 
 
¶5.  (U) The report called for more local government involvement and 
support, specifically urging Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao to 
intervene.  Greater support from local NGOs and the Gulu District 
Forum was also mentioned as avenues for protecting INGO workers' 
rights. 
 
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Gulu District Chairman Seeks Clarification 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Outspoken Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao admitted to 
EmbOff on November 6 that he had not read the report, but noted that 
he was aware of prior reports that some faith-based INGOs 
implemented a "do what you are told" policy in the north.  He said 
that the report's lack of details had unfairly "demoralized" the 
entire INGO community, and vowed to meet with the INGO community to 
discuss the allegations.  The NGOs must operate within the confines 
of Ugandan law, Mao affirmed. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
NGO Community Questions Validity of Report 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The former Gulu-based coordinator for the United Nations 
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA), 
Esteban Saco, questioned the validity of the report in a November 13 
meeting with Emboff.  Saco said that the report was vague, and 
lacked the statistical data needed to give scope to the alleged 
problem.  He dismissed the possibility of a widespread pattern of 
abuse, adding that he had not heard of any major workers' rights 
violations in the INGO community during his tenure in Gulu.  Saco 
said that INGO representatives in Gulu shared his concerns over the 
report, but added that the GOU had not pushed the issue.  Gulu 
District Chairman Mao, however, had raised the issue and was 
reportedly investigating the claims, he commented. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Foundation for Human Rights Initiative Executive Director 
Livingstone Ssewanyana called the report "biased" and "one-sided". 
 
KAMPALA 00001785  002 OF 002 
 
 
He said that it was not constructive, and that he had urged 
policymakers to investigate the charge fully before taking action. 
UNICEF Child Protection Office Chief Cornelius Williams, a Sierra 
Leonean national with extensive experience in the north, agreed with 
Ssewanyana.  He expressed concern that the report might undermine 
"legitimate" human rights work in the region.  Williams said that 
abuse was unlikely in the "larger more established" INGOs, but 
suggested that such activity might have occurred in the lesser known 
entities. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Father Carlos Rodriguez, a Catholic priest with 18-years 
of experience in the north, was also concerned over the report's 
lack of detail on specific incidents of abuse.  He said that there 
were a number of reliable INGOs working in the region, both 
faith-based and secular, whose activities might be unfairly 
scrutinized.  Father Rodriguez noted, however, that some 
organizations "take advantage" of the poor, and stressed the need 
for a common ethical code of conduct within the NGO community. 
 
------------------------ 
HRF Stands Behind Report 
------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) HRF Executive Director James Otto in a November 15 meeting 
with EmbOff stood firmly behind the accusations made in the 
September report.  Otto expressed his disappointment that the INGO 
criticism overshadowed the more important issue of getting northern 
Ugandans home from IDP camps.  He admitted that HRF struggled with 
whether it would be prudent to include the criticism in the report, 
but said that if HRF had not raised the issue, "who would?"  Otto 
did not give EmbOff the names of the organizations or individuals 
believed to be involved in the alleged activity, but said that he 
would help us to investigate further by talking directly to 
individuals who had made the accusations.  "You will be shocked by 
some of the accounts of sexual and financial exploitation," Otto 
affirmed. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) There is no indication of a widespread pattern of gross 
civil and worker rights violations by INGOs operating in northern 
Uganda.  Though Otto would not share the names of his sources, his 
credibility and dedication in the North lends weight to his 
concerns, and merits our consideration.  Meanwhile, the GOU has 
remained largely silent on the HRF report, even though it has its 
own concerns about INGOs and NGOs in the north.  End Comment. 
CHRITTON