13-4-11

Former Tri-star girls narrate horrendous sexual abuse experiences

Halima Athumani

The 3000 girls hired by government to work at the former Tri-star apparels garment factory were
inspired by the motto, from the village to town to build the nation. Leaving their home towns meant a
better life in the city since they considered it a dream come true working at a factory in Kampala. Little
did they know that their stay at the factory would have strings attached? Sexual advances by one of the
Sri-Lankana supervisors only identified as Prasanah became the order of the day to some of the girls.

28 year old Vasta Turyomunsi a senior four leaver from Kanungu district escaped narrowly but says it all
started in 2009 when Prasanah started making his advances. Turyomunsi says the months between
April and June were unbearable. Prasanah was known for using the girls twice and later dumps them.
Whenever he came close to Turyomunsi, he would shout and insult her saying the factory can go on
without her. Her colleagues then asked her to give in if she was to stay on peacefully, but she declined.

He then resorted to claiming that she frequently absents herself from work. This cost her 25,840 shs off
her 80,000 shs she earns as a salary.

Turyomunsi’s resilience and proof of hard work paid off every time she appeared before the disciplinary
committee for her “bad behavior and poor workmanship”. After working peacefully for 5 years, within
three months, she says she had been given two warning letters and 3 verbal warnings.

//Cue in: He could find me…”

Cue out: because of that lady.”//

The conditions were not any better when the human resource manager under the Libyan African
Partnership Textile factory only identified as Salima would take sides with Prasanah and terminate their
contracts instead of protecting the girls from his advances.

Turyomunsi decided to spill the beans about Prasanah’s behaviour and for the first time management
listened to her. After the meeting, Prasanah reportedly cried the whole day and later told her that she
should not have reported him and promised never to forget her.

//Cue in: I just stood up…”

Cue out:…never forget you.”//

Joan Awor from Gulu district says that after a sexual encounter, their supervisors would narrate it to
their colleagues and saying that the girls are only good at sex activities but too lazy to work.

//Cue in: Some of them…”

Cue out:…don’t want to work.”//

40 year old Flora Mbabazi says her daughter Asiimwe Jackie was fired in January this year for also
refusing to sleep with Prasanah. Asiimwe’s hourly target of 75 cloth stitches was increased to 80. This
meant working late till about 8:00pm. Asiimwe who later conceived by another man was fired by the
management upon getting information that she was pregnant. She was fired under the pretext that she
was stitching clothes poorly. Mbabazi says when they reported the case to the management; they were
told that if the supervisor does not need you, there is nothing management can do.

The girls reveal that sometimes, after one supervisor slept with them, the other two would also come
and force themselves onto the girls. Two girls whose whereabouts are not known are said to have given
birth, one in 2004 and the other in 2010 to baby girls belonging to Prasanah.

When URN tried to seek audience with the current Human Resource Manager Hadija Mugabi, she said
she was under strict orders not to speak to the media. However, she denies receiving reports of sexual
abuse from the girls. Luckily for them, Prasanah was among the Libyan African Partnership textile factory
workers who were fired in March by the Libyan manager Ibrahim Shaffu.

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