Consultant to map the Interventions Related to Law No.205/2020 on Sexual Harassment in Lebanon

Official Job Title:

Consultant

Duty Station

Lebanon, UNFPA Office

Hiring Office

UNFPA Lebanon

Vacancy Ref #

UNFPA/LBN/2023/010

Duration

20 working days

Start-up Date

September 15 to October 15

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Map the Interventions Related to Law No.205/2020 on Sexual Harassment in Lebanon

Purpose of consultancy:

Sexual Harassment is one of the prominent forms of gender-based and sexual violence that women face in different aspects of their lives. In the context of Lebanon, data shows that 1 in 4 Lebanese women have faced sexual harassment; nevertheless, such cases remain underreported due to different multifaceted barriers (ABAAD, 2018). Lebanon has made evident progress to tackle this problem, most notably through passing Law No.205 in December 2020, which was proposed by MP Inaya Ezzedine. The law criminalizes sexual harassment and penalizes perpetrators, protects the victim and any witness who testify against the abuser, and creates a specialized fund at the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) to provide the different needed support for victims.

The rationale behind this law and the expected outcomes of its adoption and implementation align with the outputs of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 2023-2025 Country Programme for Lebanon, as UNFPA Country Office (CO) in Lebanon is committed to supporting the government’s efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful practices, which include sexual harassment.

In this context, UNFPA has actively contributed to the implementation of the law in Lebanon and the dissemination of its provisions among relevant stakeholders and the general public. At the level of advocacy, UNFPA, in partnership with ESCWA and the National Women Machinery, have initiated a teaser campaign, followed by a social media campaign on the Sexual Harassment Law. Moreover, UNFPA has partnered with ESCWA, the World Bank, the Ministry of Labor, and the National Women Machinery to develop a policy document and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that aim to enhance the effective implementation of the law. Building on the SOPs, UNFPA collaborated with NCLW to develop IEC materials that were disseminated among legal professionals, youth, and social workers. At the level of capacity development, UNFPA, in partnership with ABAAD, developed a training manual that targeted Internal Security Forces (ISF) police officers and investigators, which was followed by a Training of Trainers for members of the ISF to strengthen their role in the implementation of the law.

In the same context, and as part of its post-legislative scrutiny role, the Women and Child Parliamentary Committee has developed a Legislative Scrutiny study to assess the implementation of the law after 2.5 years of its adoption. The findings and recommendations of the report were presented and discussed during a workshop organized by the women and child committee on May 18, entitled: Following up on the implementation of Law No. 205/2020 Criminalizing Sexual Harassment: Towards an Effective and transparent implementation. The event brought together the main stakeholders to discuss their experiences/challenges faced during the implementation of the law (judiciary, security forces, and CSOs) and agreed that it’s a timely and important exchange. Through the PLS exercise and the workshop, a number of recommendations were made to ensure effective implementation of the law.

More so, UNFPA has been in consultation with the Lebanese Parliament and more specifically with the Head of Women and Child Parliamentary Committee to explore further areas of collaboration on the implementation of the law particularly in view of the Committee’s proactive role in implementing the post-legislative scrutiny initiative and convening key stakeholders in discussing the progress on the implementation of the law.

Along with UNFPA, other entities and stakeholders are implementing initiatives and interventions to prevent and combat sexual harassment, as per the provisions of Law No.205. Nevertheless, these efforts continue to be implemented independently from each other amidst the lack of coordination between relevant stakeholders and actors, a matter that hinders a sound and systematic monitoring of the effectiveness of the law and may potentially result in the duplication of certain projects and interventions on the one hand and leaving out some essential parts of the law on the other hand. 

Based on the above, and in line with Output (3) of UNFPA Country Programme 2023-2025 for Lebanon related to: Strengthened national statistical system, to generate and disseminate high-quality and timely multisectoral, disaggregated and harmonized data for evidence-based policymaking, and within the framework of the shared commitment to prevent and combat sexual harassment, UNFPA partnered with the Lebanese Parliament to strengthen the monitoring of the Sexual Harassment Law through mapping the relevant interventions that support the implementation of its provisions. This comes in line with the committee’s action plan and objectives for the year 2021-2023 to combine efficiency and transparency in the legislative process and reform.   

As such, UNFPA CO seeks to recruit a consultant who would be engaged in carrying out the mapping exercise of current efforts related to the implementation of the Sexual Harassment Law in Lebanon.

Scope of work:

(Description of services, activities, or outputs)

Under the guidance of UNFPA Head of Office and in close collaboration with the Population and Development focal point and the two focal points in Lebanese parliament, the consultant will:

• Conduct an inception meeting with UNFPA and the assigned focal points from Lebanese parliament to ensure the clear understanding of the mentioned tasks and deliverables in the ToRs and the expected dates of submission
• Carry out the needed desk review and analysis of available published data in studies, reports, and other relevant publications related to sexual harassment in Lebanon.
• Propose a comprehensive multisectoral methodology for the mapping exercise including qualitative and quantitative, KII, survey, etc.
• Develop the relevant data collection tools for the mapping exercise and based on the methodology
• Undertake the data collection phase (i.e., surveys, KII, etc.) with relevant stakeholders
• Develop an evidence-based report based on collected data that is both descriptive and analytical. The report will also include a detailed matrix that shows the mapping of all stakeholders with their different interventions per area and project activities.
• Incorporate the feedback from UNFPA and the Parliament in the final report
• Participate in the advocacy meeting with relevant stakeholders to present the findings and results of the report

Duration working schedule:

 September 15 to October 15 (20 working days)

Place where services are to be delivered:

A hybrid approach i.e. UNFPA office (Beirut)

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

The report should be validated, finalized, and shared by October 15, 2023. To support this process, the milestones and deliverables are proposed as follows:

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:

• Under the direct supervision of the Head of Office, the consultant will work closely with the CO and the focal points from the Lebanese Parliament.
• Adhere to UNFPA M&E requirements.

Supervisory arrangements:

The consultant shall work under the direct supervision of UNFPA Lebanon Head of Office and assigned office and parliament focal points.

Expected travel:

N/A

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

• Advanced degree in Social Work/Gender Studies/Sociology/Political Science or other Social Science
• Minimum of 7 years of proven research experience in population studies, gender equality and women issues, gender-based violence and domestic violence, focused on Multisectoral Needs Assessment. etc.
• Strong knowledge and experience related to current Lebanese laws, policies, and practices in the fields of gender equality, protection, gender-based violence, and humanitarian action
• Demonstrable skills in Data Collection and Analysis
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice and recommended actions
• Excellent analytical skills
• Excellent written skills in Arabic and English

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:

The assignment will be carried out under the guidance of UNFPA Head of Office and relevant focal points in Parliament, who shall provide the following support to the consultant:

• Provide all available relevant documents and reports.
• Provide a list of relevant stakeholders and potential points of contact, along with contact information.
• Facilitate the contact and access of the stakeholder for data collection and carrying out of interviews.
• Feedback on the first draft of the report.
• Logistical support to conduct the advocacy meeting.

Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:

N/A

Signature of Requesting Officer in Hiring Office:

Date: September 15, 2023

Application process and deadline

Interested candidates may apply online by providing: 

• Most updated CV
• Updated P11 (click here)
• Cover letter mentioning the relevance of past/current experience with the requirements of the consultancy
• Mention in the email subject the post title and number

The above documents must be sent to bids_lbn@unfpa.org  by no later than September 10^th 2023
Candidates who fail to submit the required documents above will not be considered for review. UNFPA Lebanon will only be responsible to respond to those applicants submitting the required documents above and in which there is further interest. ONLY individual consultants, not companies, are eligible to apply.

Candidates assessed by the panel and considered to be eligible for the appointment but who are not selected for this vacant post may be offered an assignment to another position at the same/lower grade provided that they meet the minimum qualifications required.