Consultant/s for Assessment on GBV and Judicial System: Stigma & Discrimination

Duration; 45 working days

Practice Area: Law, Gender Studies, Gender Based Violence, Transitional Justice or related field.

Reports to: Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA)

1. Background

Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA) is an umbrella Civil Societies Organization (CSOs) with 500 members engaged in the humanitarian and development sector in Ethiopia. CCRDA vision is geared towards creating a vibrant CSOs for social justice and poverty alleviation with core strategic functions centered on collective advocacy, capacity building, knowledge production, resource mobilization as well as networking and partnership building. To actualize its core strategic functions, the organizations has thematically structured seven forums.

The Women, Children and Youth Development (WCYDF) Forum is the forum mandated to advancing gender equality and the right, welfare of the child and youth empowerment. In the wake of Ethiopia’s adoption of its first National Transitional Justice (TJ) Policy in April 2024, and the policy’s recognition of Conflict -Related Gender Based Violence (CRSV) as a key priority area, the Forum has embarked on a pivotal project dedicated to fostering “Gender Just Transformative Reparation and Institutional reform (GJTR) within Transitional Justice process”. The project aims to foster the adoption and implementation of a transitional justice process that establishes a gender-sensitive, transformative transitional justice with a focus on the reparation and institutional reform pillar for a comprehensive, multisectoral, and survivor-centered approach to addressing GBV.

GBV has a multidimensional impact on survivors including physical, mental, psychological, societal and economic. It exposes survivors to severe sexual and reproductive health (SRH) as well as mental and psychosocial concerns, with long-term consequences associated with societal stigma and discrimination, including the intergenerational impact of children born from these assaults. This scenario is further exacerbated in conflict zones where key government, social and cultural structures are weak.

Leveraging on the opportunity the Transitional Justice presents, particularly the institutional reforms pillar, this assessment is targeted at better understanding and assessing stigma, myths, stereotypes, and misconceptions related to GBV, with a focus on conflict- related sexual violence (CRSV) within criminal justice systems and court. Noting the central impact stigma and discrimination in general and one taking a systemic structure has in facilitating and guarantying survivors’ access to justice and fostering better reporting, the assessment aims to identify weaknesses and opportunities for training and improvement in the criminal justice process.

By utilizing the indicators in the “CARSV Stigma Toolkit for Justice” developed by Synergy for Justice, the assessment will employ a survivor-centered and survivor-safe approach while focusing on effective outcomes. It provides essential tools for assessment, reflection, reform, and enhanced practices, ultimately leading to improved justice outcomes and safer interactions with survivors. This exercise creates a better understanding of specific manifestations, challenges, and impact of stigma related to GBV, highlighting its impact on survivors’ access to justice, their communities, and the criminal justice system. This consultancy will help gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of GBV stigma, including how it intersects with justice and social structures, as well as helping address the gap in data on GBV case statistics and case processing with a focus on conflict settings.

2. Objective

The main objective of this assignment is to assess and understand the manifestation, challenges, and impact of stigma and discrimination of GBV cases in the judicial system in conflict-affected regions, and to identify best practices and provide actionable recommendations to improve access to justice for survivors. The following are the specific objectives:

• To examine how stigma and discrimination are manifested and play in the judicial system when handling GBV case, particularly in conflict affected regions.
• To identify key challenges stigma and discrimination pose to survivors.
• To analyse impact of stigma and discrimination on institutional mandate to provide justice and overall experience of survivors.
• To collect and document best practices and strategies used to mitigate stigma and discrimination within the justice system.
• To develop and provide actionable recommendations to improve access to justice for GBV survivors by addressing stigma and discrimination.

4. Scope of the work

• Desk review of judicial guidelines, operational systems, tools, and evidence collection procedural SoPs in place in the judicial system as well as available reports and researches;
• Conduct Key Informant Interview and focused group discussion with key stakeholders, including members of the justice system (judges, prosecutors, investigators,), CSOs, Survivors Networks and/or GBV focused health sectors.
• Use assessment guidelines and indicators in the “Judicial Functions and Court Services” chapter of the CARSV Stigma Toolkit for Justice to assess the status quo and identify areas for improvement.
• Analyze the data collected through interviews and literature reviews to identify key trends, patterns, and issues related to GBV in Ethiopia focused on conflict settings.
• Identify strong cases and good practices for learning.
• Identify and organize key areas of concern with evidence for policy advocacy and capacity building.
• Provide a compilation of clear notes from the interviews (along with an audio recording, if possible), in both Amharic and English.
• Draft a report compiling the key findings from the analysis.
• Conduct validation workshop

5. Deliverables

1. Submission of the first draft report and presentation of findings in a validation workshop.
2. Submission of final report after incorporating of comments from the validation workshop.
3. Submission of final 4-5 pages’ policy briefs for a strategic position of CCRDA in policy advocacy and influencing.
4. Submission of raw data from interview, Focused Group Discussion and desk review.

6. Methodology

The consultant commissioned to undertake the assignment is expected to principally employ qualitative approaches unless a quantitative approach is deemed of additional value. More of the specific techniques of the methodology are expected to be addressed in detail by the consultant who is coming to compete. The detailed research methodologies and approaches will be presented by the consultant and evaluated technically.

7. Activities

The consultant/Freelance is expected to carry out the following activities:

• Develop an inception report, detailing work plan with activities, methods and interview tools aligned to “stigma and discrimination toolkit CCRDA will provide”, deliverables, dates of delivering each with activity and a realistic budget proposal.
• Conduct a desk review of existing data relevant to the assignment.
• Identify/propose appropriate sample size for the two regions, – namely Tigray and Amhara – and specific zones, woreda or kebeles.
• Lead the key informant interviews and focus group discussions in areas identified for the study.
• Present the preliminary findings in a validation workshop to WCYDF Members.
• Produce final report with recommendations after incorporating of comments.
• Produce a separate policy brief paper (4-5 pages) that focus on issues of common concern for CCRDA advocacy work.

8. Ethics

The consultant should follow every ethical procedure of research and adopt a survivor centered approach at all levels of the study. Ethical consideration includes but are not limited to adherence to the safeguarding principles, child protection policy, and gender policy of CCRDA. The consultant should seek and do written consents of interviewees before commencing interviews and as well taking photos. CCRDA will not be responsible for any breach of ethical issues on this assignment.

9. Ownership of the study outputs

All the study outputs- the report, data and information are the property of CCRDA it should not be used by the consultant and any other body without written consent of the owner.

10. Duration of the assignment and period for deliverables

No.	Deliverables or Tasks	Duration (approximate)
1	Submission of inception report: – detailed proposal outlining objectives, methodologies, data collection tools and the work plan	5 days
2	Field missions: – Assess and collect data	25 days
3	Analysis and Submission of draft report and presentation	10 days
4	Submission of the final report	5 days
5	Submission of policy issues: – submission of final report and policy brief paper.	Within 45 days from signing the contract.

 

Qualification of the firm/applicant

The consulting firm or consultant to be assigned to carry out this study must meet the below specification.

• PHD or Masters in Law with experience or specialized practice on issues of GBV and /or transitional justice
• Experience with GBV litigation processes: A minimum of 5 years working on issues related to gender-based violence particularly in conflict zones, GBV litigation and judiciary sector.
• Expertise and deep understanding of the legal system and its key stakeholders. A strong understanding of the political, social, and legal context in Ethiopia, particularly related to conflict related GBV.
• Research and Writing Skills: Proven experience in conducting qualitative research, including interviews and drafting comprehensive reports or case studies.
• Survivor-Centered Approach: Knowledge of and experience in adopting survivor-centered and trauma-informed approaches in research and writing.
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English is required.
• Additional Desirable Skills: Previous experience with international organizations, government institutions, or UN agencies focused on GBV or women’s rights.
• And any other relevant staff for data processing.

Terms of Payments

• First payment will be 30% from the total after completion of the inception report and when consultant confirms ready for field mission.
• Second payment will be 40% from the total after submission of draft assessment report and presentation of findings of the assessment.
• Third payment will be 30% from the total after completion of all the deliverables (i.e., submission of final report and 4-5 pages of brief policy paper).