ICF is our primary research partner in Uganda.

ICF

  • Commercial Sexual Exploitation
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  • Domestic Work
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  • Ethical Recruitment
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    Through March and April 2021, ICF and the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, undertook a respondent-driven sampling (RDS) study, involving in-person interviews, in Kampala to measure the characteristics of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and to estimate the prevalence of children among all people engaged in CSE. This study, along with our simultaneous CSEC study in the Karamoja region of Uganda, is the first to offer a prevalence estimate of CSEC for any region of Uganda.

    This population-based survey explores the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Napak children and adults related to child migration and child trafficking as well as the prevalence of CSEC. This is a two timepoint study, which will inform the GFEMS-Funded Community Action to End Child Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation project.

    This study also offers the first CSEC prevalence estimate for any region in Uganda that is based on a probabilistic sample. The data reveal interesting insights on the scope of CSEC in the region and adults’ and children’s calculation of the risks and benefits regarding migration.

    In Karamoja, 11% of children aged 12-17 have eperienced sexual exploitation in the last year.

    This prevalence study, conducted in collaboration with Makerere University and ICF, offers the first child sex trafficking prevalence estimate for any region in Uganda that is based on a probabilistic sample. The data reveal interesting insights on the scope of child trafficking in the region and surprising insights on the relationship between gender and trafficking.

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    This study draws a network-based sample of migrants to estimate the proportion of Uganda migrants that experienced conditions of forced labor during their time abroad in the Middle East. The initial seeds for this sample will be drawn from Kampala and its environs, and the survey will be administered either telephonically or in-person depending on the location and preference of respondents. As such, some referred respondents may be located outside of Kampala or still be working abroad in the Middle East.

    This study is an evaluation of impact of IOM’s IRIS Capacity Building Program (IRIS CBP), being implemented in Uganda with support from GFEMS. It will assess the extent to which private recruitment agencies (PRA) that participate in the program are able to transition towards more ethical recruitment practices.

    COVID-19 is increasing children’s vulnerability to sex trafficking.

    In the spring of 2021, GFEMS commissioned a series of interrelated studies to assess the short, medium, and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in key sectors in Kenya and Uganda and identify ways in which GFEMS-funded programming can be adapted to better support them. The studies revealed increased vulnerability to forced labor conditions among migrant workers as well as limited access to economic alternatives for returnee migrants, prompting remigration. The studies also revealed increasing pressure on vulnerable children to engage in the commercial sex industry, primarily driven by economic necessity and school closures. Children already engaged in the industry experienced an increase in economic insecurity and violent abuse as well as reduced access to support services.

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    One case study will be conducted for each of the interventions in Kenya and Uganda funded under the U.S. Department of State. The studies will assess the appropriateness of intervention modalities in the East African context, the manner in which they address structural drivers of modern slavery, and the vulnerabilities of target populations.

    GFEMS commissioned a series of interrelated studies to assess the short, medium, and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in key sectors in Kenya and Uganda and identify ways in which GFEMS-funded programming can be adapted to better support them. The studies revealed increased vulnerability to forced labor conditions among migrant workers and increasing pressure on vulnerable children to engage in the commercial sex industry.

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