Orange has become the first multinational company with operations in Uganda to pledge to defend its employees in response to the nation’s new anti-gay law.
On Tuesday (11 March) Orange confirmed in a statement sent to All Out – and in response to the mobilization of 85 000 All Out members – that it would provide legal and security assistance to any employee including its lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans-gender employees in Uganda in a situation of crisis.
All Out is now calling on other multinationals operating in Uganda such as Heineken, KLM and Coca-Cola to follow suit by committing to protect its employees against the new anti-gay law and speak out about the risks to Uganda’s economy from these attacks on human rights.
“Orange is convinced that diversity is a force for social performance and economic performance,” says Orange spokesperson Jean-Bernard Orsoni to All Out.
“Orange does not ask its employees about their sexual orientation because it is confidential information that isn’t part of any step of an employee’s life in the company, or in recruitment, promotion or any other decision concerning an employee. Orange does not collect this information, so it would not be possible to produce it and hand over to anyone.
“The Group also provides any assistance (legal, and security wise) to its employees worldwide in situation of crisis.”
This week, following the same call from All Out members, Orange also pulled their paid advertisements in the Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper which recently listed the names, photos and locations of LGBT people in Uganda – an action reminiscent of the 2009 outing of Ugandan activist David Kato in another Ugandan tabloid, who was murdered two days later.
“Orange are doing exactly the right thing by refusing to continue business as usual, and taking steps to protect their employees affected by the Anti-Homosexuality Act,” says Andre Banks, executive director and co-founder of All Out, an international organization building the global movement for gay rights. “Whether it’s Russia, Nigeria, or Uganda, global corporations should urgently follow their lead.”
