Gender and Development

Nepal

Nepal’s 10th Five Year Plan recognizes the need for improving rural transport connectivity to major towns and cities to improve access and stimulate economic growth. In response, ADB’s Roads Connectivity Sector Project was designed with the objective of promoting economic growth and poverty reduction for isolated rural communities in northern Nepal.

Objectives and Scope

The Roads Connectivity Sector Project was approved on 10 August 2006 for $55.2 million, it aimed to connect district roads to district headquarters, improve efficiency of the Department of Roads, build capacity of local construction and consulting services in road construction and management, and improve road safety. However, the expected expansion in economic activities, trade, involvement of people in the construction phase, travel and night halts along the road and the behaviors engaged in during mobility or migration have also been identified as having the potential to increase opportunities for casual sex and the risk of HIV/AIDS and human trafficking. The Project includes the following components:

1. Road Connectivity Improvement: Construct and upgrade close to 500 kilometers of feeder roads to all weather standards. Provide new district road connection to 3 district headquarters. Upgrade 11 district connections to all weather road connections.



2. Capacity Building of Department of Roads (DOR): Improve the efficiency and sustainability of the Executing Agency, DOR,
• in planning, constructing and managing the country’s road network system and improving road safety
• capacity building of local construction and consulting services.


3. HIV/AIDS Prevention and Anti-Trafficking: Reduce the vulnerability of groups at risk to human trafficking, and increase access to HIV prevention services.

Framework for Gender and Development Activities

The social assessment conducted during project preparation indicated low level of HIV/AIDS awareness and risk perception, especially among women, and that risk behaviors were widespread among mobile populations, and commercial sex workers. The Project districts in the central region were identified as trafficking-prone districts with children from poor families, both girls and boys, being sent to work as 'domestic help', with the potential from thereon to be either trafficked or enticed to work as sex workers. Girls and women of the age groups 11-25 years and boys of 6-12 years were found particularly vulnerable to trafficking.

Gender-Inclusive Design

To address gender-related concerns in the Project, an HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking component was prepared during the Project design phase with the objective of providing anti-trafficking information to 90% of road construction workers, transport operators, female sex workers, labor migrants, and populations living along the road corridors; and to 100% girls and women of the age groups 11-25 years and boys of 6-12 years. DOR will be sensitized and trained on HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking issues and improve its collaboration with other stakeholders to attain better results in Project areas.

Key activities under the HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking component include:

1. Partnering with NGOs to identify risk groups for HIV/AIDS and human trafficking, and to map geo-locations of sexual networks and intervention sites along the road corridors



2. Providing orientation and sensitization on HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking to Project personnel



3. Requiring HIV/AIDS awareness raising workshops for contractors and construction workers



4. Conducting public awareness campaign for behavioral change of high-risk groups



5. Promoting condom use and disseminating information about the nearest available services for testing, counseling and treatment



6. Sensitizing and capacity building of Project personnel, including public awareness raising on trafficking concerns

Guidance on Gender and Development Activities

A Social Development Specialist with expertise in HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking issues is provided for 36 person months to support the DOR for overall implementation and monitoring of the HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking component. The Social Development Specialist is expected to provide gender sensitization trainings to the DOR and NGOs with a particular focus on the issues of the transport sector; develop gender responsive indicators for tracking progress; participate in relevant theme groups for HIV/AIDS, and anti-trafficking; determine appropriate IEC packages for transport operators, construction workers, female sex workers, tea stall operators, women, school children, and mobile populations; and assist NGOs to identify risk and vulnerability factors by age and sex, and to implement HIV/AIDS, and anti-trafficking interventions that address gender concerns. Building on lessons learned from this first experience, it is expected that HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking issues will be integrated in future road projects in Nepal.