Pursuing the right to livelihood and dignity for women workers in the Ugandan palm oil sector
SEATINI Uganda is engaging women working in the palm oil sector in a campaign to improve their work situation. Around International Women's Day, March 8, they are organizing various actions to gain awareness for the situation and the rights of these women workers.
Within the East African Community (EAC) region, violations of workers' rights, especially those of women is both intense and extensive. Women working for a palm oil company told SEATINI that they earn as low as two dollars a day, are subject to poor quality food in the disguise of food incentives, and poor shelter. Furthermore they struggle with the heavy work load, as it involves applying fertilizers from sacks each weighing 50 kilo grams. They are not given proper protective gears and yet the fertilizers contain chemicals that cause itching on the skin, and irritations in the nose. During the rainy season and in days when they are experiencing their menstruation, the feeling of irritations on their skin is much worse. In case of pregnancy, they are not given the minimum length of maternity leave.
Contracts terminated for speaking out
SEATINI reports that some of these women have been fired by their employer after speaking out about their work situation to SEATINI and the Ugandan Parliament. Therefore SEATINI together with CEFROHT, a public interest litigation NGO, has submitted a case to the High Court on behalf of four women workers explaining these women's rights to a livelihood and decent working conditions were violated when the company, Oil Palm Uganda Limited / Bidco Uganda Ltd decided to terminate their contracts.
Media campaign starting on Women's Day, March 8
As SEATINI and CEFROHT await the ruling of the case by the High Court, the two organizations have also set out to undertake various actions which will begin with media engagements on International Women's Day, 8th March 2020. This will be followed by pursuing alternative measures for access to remedy, such as reporting the case to the World Bank Ombudsman Compliance Advisor, given that the Oil Palm Uganda project is financed by international financial institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
For more information
Themes
Read more about this subject
-
Publication / 30 October 2023
-
News / 26 November 2024The Time to Rethink Investment Rules: Amplifying Civil Society Voices
At the core of the Fair, Green, and Global (FGG) Alliance’s mission is the commitment to building a just and sustainable world. As members of this alliance, Both ENDS, SOMO, and the Transnational Institute (TNI) recognise the urgent need to reimagine global investment frameworks. These frameworks, entrenched in outdated treaties such as Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), often prioritise…
-
News / 25 November 2024 -
Letter / 9 December 2024
People and the Planet Entebbe Declaration: Reclaiming investment frameworks for people and the planet
The time for change is now. Civil society demands international investment
frameworks that are aligned with economic justice, social and environmental
sustainability, and the needs of communities worldwide. -
Publication / 15 February 2022
-
Dossier /Uganda’s Energy Future
Despite the existence of many hydropower dams, foreign investments and large government spending on energy, and new plans for hydropower, oil and gas projects, the vast majority of rural Uganda still remains without electricity. Together with our local partners we are striving towards a…
-
Dossier /Towards a socially and environmentally just energy transition
To address the climate crisis we need to urgently transition away from fossil fuels towards clean, renewable energy. However, this transition is not only about changing energy sources. It requires an inclusive and fair process that tackles systemic inequalities and demanding consumption patterns…
-
News / 10 May 2024An Introduction to Both ENDS' System of Care
Silencing the Voices of Environmental Defenders
Together with environmental justice groups from the Global South, Both ENDS works towards a sustainable, fair and inclusive world. In recent years, our partners have become increasingly threatened, intimidated, violated, imprisoned, and even murdered as a result of their environmental and human rights activities. Our advocacy partners face repressive reprisals for speaking out against environmentally destructive initiatives and denouncing human rights abuses of companies and governments, whilst the communities they support are subjected to violence for simply acting out of necessity to…
-
Event / 22 February 2022, 16:00 - 17:30Webinar and launch of new publication about EU-Mercosur
What is the EU-Mercosur association treaty and why is it controversial? What could be the implications of the treaty for people and their livelihoods both in EU and Mercosur countries? For more information about these and other issues, see our new publication and join our interactive webinar next week…
-
News / 11 October 2019Rights for people, rules for corporations: the case of Paraguay
Indigenous communities in Paraguay saw their attempts to regain their ancestral lands thwarted by German investors. This is the level of impact that investment treaties can have on social, environmental and economic development and rights. Why? Because of the ‘Investor-to-State Dispute…
-
External link / 24 June 2023Joining voices to advance advocacy and security in a hostile environment (Annual Report 2022)
Uganda is one of many countries where the situation for environmental organisations has significantly deteriorated. Both ENDS has taken steps to develop a more systematic and proactive approach to supporting partners in addressing safety and security issues. In 2022 we successfully mobilised resources to support six Ugandan organisations to strengthen collaboration, increase their visibility, and carry out joint advocacy towards a green and…
-
Publication / 8 March 2018
-
News / 4 March 2025Feminist March 2025: let's take to the streets for gender justice
Women's rights are under pressure worldwide, and hard-fought rights and freedoms are being dismantled. Whereas until recently the Netherlands was a champion of emancipation, women's rights and gender justice, the current cabinet is breaking with this policy and abandoning millions of women and girls. That is why Both ENDS, together with many other allies, will be taking to the streets on 8 March. It is time to make a strong stand against the…
-
Event / 28 February 2019, 14:00 - 15:30Webinar: Realizing women’s land rights in Africa
This webinar will feature experiences from several grassroots initiatives and highlight how they fight for women's improved access to and control over…
-
Blog / 10 December 2021Vaccine apartheid is a violation of human rights
Pharmaceuticals hold on to their patents and (our) governments do not remove the barriers to free production that were raised under international…
-
Publication / 16 October 2023
-
Letter / 19 October 2022
Both ENDS' input to the 'Consultation Feminist Foreign Policy' of Ministry of Foreign AffairsZa
In May 2022, Minister Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs and Minister Schreinemacher for International Trade and Development Cooperation announced that also The Netherlands will work towards implementing a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP). This means that within its Foreign Policy, the Netherlands will pay more attention to inclusivity in general and specifically to women's rights and gender equality, including LGBTIQ+. This feminist lens will be central to all aspects of foreign policy; security, trade, diplomacy and international cooperation.
To foster an inclusive process and acquire insights in what a Dutch FFP should look like, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened an internet consultation. Both ENDS welcomes the FFP and therefore gladly shares its input and suggestions.
-
Letter / 7 February 2020
Kota Kinabalu Statement on Palm Oil and Freedom of Expression
Civil society organisations from around the world condemn the statements by representatives of palm oil companies during a meeting with the Malaysian government. In this meeting, the company representatives called critical NGOs "toxic entities" and asked the Malaysian government to not let these NGOs into the country. Both ENDS' partners have published a reaction in which they defend their right "to expose the realities we face in their communities about the impacts of the palm oil sector".
-
Dossier /Rights for People, Rules for Corporations – Stop ISDS!
Indigenous communities in Paraguay saw their attempts to regain their ancestral lands thwarted by German investors. In Indonesia, US-based mining companies succeeded to roll back new laws that were meant to boost the country’s economic development and protect its forests. This is the level of impact that investment treaties can have on social, environmental and economic development and rights. Why? Because of the ‘Investor-to-State…
-
Video / 31 May 2016Women's rights undermined in South Africa
The population of the informal settlement Masakhane, South Africa is highly affected by the pollution and environmental damage caused by the the coal-fired Duvha power station. Before the mining and power station developments, families had access to and control over the land, even if they did not own it. Farming used to be the main source of livelihood. Today, mining companies and investors own most of the land, and as a direct consequence people…
