SGBV Consultant (Adamawa) at the Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA)

The Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) - The organisation seeks to advance and protect the rights of women as provided by national laws and policies, regional and international treaties and agreement through an integrated approach that entrenches respect for the human dignity of the woman as well as her inclusion in decisions that affect her life and the development of her community.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: SGBV Consultant

Location: Adamawa
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: Consultant
Languages Required: English, Hausa
Starting Date: 01 September 2019
End Date: 31 March 2020
Duration of Initial Contract: 7 Months
Line Manager: Project Officer

Background
Violence against vulnerable persons, including women, is prevalent in Nigeria. In addition to physical, sexual and emotional abuse, many women in Nigeria experience female genital mutilation/circumcision, forceful ejection from home, and other harmful traditional practices stemming from long-held cultural beliefs. Despite the increase in reportage, legal provisions and hurdles in the administration of justice provide women with little protection against violence.

At the national and state levels the application of the Penal and Criminal Codes are perceived to offer little relief and at worst compound the situation. Section 55 1(d) of the Penal Code (applicable in Northern Nigeria) upholds corrective beating of a child, pupil, servant or wife as long as this does not cause grievous bodily harm. Meanwhile grievous bodily harm could include the loss of a limb or injuries warranting a 42 days’ hospitalisation. The punishment is less in the case of woman than in the case of a man. While rape is punishable by life imprisonment in Nigeria, the laborious process of proving rape, the pain and shame of reliving the experience coupled with societal pressure to keep silent, victim blaming, and stigma, often dissuade women from reporting sexual violence.

Customary law offers even less protection. Under Shari'a, a husband can withdraw maintenance if his wife refuses sexual intercourse while a woman alleging rape must produce four witnesses, the same way corroboration is demanded of a woman who alleges rape in common law. A 2010 Africa for Women’s Rights report showed that if the rape is not proven, a woman can be punished for adultery with a prison sentence or flogging. The laws to tackle gender-based violence within this context are inadequate to address this problem. WRAPA is proposing interventions to push for the effective implementation of the Penal Code and Special Rights Agency (SRA) Law in Adamawa state. This is in response to the increasing prevalence of SGBV in Adamawa State; improve access to justice for women, children and persons with disabilities; thereby strengthening observance of the rule of law in Nigeria.

In dealing with the impunity of SGBV, WRAPA recognizes that external input alone cannot deliver sustainable results for persons of concern. Protection and response strategies are more effective when they are designed, implemented and monitored with the meaningful engagement of persons affected and effected in all stages of the process. This approach shifts the focus from individual service delivery to enhancing the capacities of people of concern, and their communities to be active agents in their own protection.

Against this backdrop, in partnership with the Rule of Law and Accountability Project, funded by the British Council, WRAPA is working to set up, and establish additional channels of access points for SGBV victims to request and receive medical, counselling, legal and social support services.

Job Description

• To coordinate the establishment and operation of additional channels/access points for SGBV victims to request and receive medical, counselling, legal and social support services.

Recruitment Objective

• To coordinate and support the establishment of additional channels access points for SGBV victims to request and receive medical, counselling, legal and social support services in Adamawa State.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify and take stock of existing networks, structures or stakeholder relationships (especially at the community level) that can be leveraged on to create the additional channels/access points. In establishing the additional channels/access points, consultant to leverage opportunities within IDP camps and/ or LGAs where MCN programme has set up community-based structures in Adamawa such as the CPSPs
• Identify appropriate stakeholders and contact persons for each additional channel or access point established
• Identify 15 Stakeholders and contact persons ( drawn from IDP camps and /or in LGAs where the MCN programme has set up community- based structures in Adamawa, such as the CPSP) to be trained in protocol for documenting responding to and referring reports of sexual assault
• Coordinate and support the training for 15 stakeholders and contact persons in protocol for documenting responding to end referring reports of sexual assault. These trainees will provide response response/referral services across additional channels or access points established in Adamawa
• One senatorial district has at least (1) new/ additional channel or access point for requesting or receiving SGBV support in Adamawa
• Three senatorial districts have at least (1) new additional channel/ access point for requesting or receiving SGBV services in Adamawa
• Promote utilization and strengthen community engagement that fosters sustainability of the additional channels and access point.

Expected Deliverables:

• List of existing networks, structures or stakeholder relationship that can be leveraged on to create additional channels /access point by 30th September,2019
• Identify 15 Stakeholders and contact persons ( drawn from IDP camps and /or in LGAs where the MCN programme has set up community- based structures in Adamawa, such as the CPSP) to be trained in protocol for documenting responding to and referring reports of sexual assault by 31st October, 2019
• Coordinate and support the training for 15 stakeholders and contact persons in protocol for documenting responding to end referring reports of sexual assault by 30th November,2019
• One senatorial district has at least (1) new/ additional channel or access point for requesting or receiving SGBV support in Adamawa by 31st December, 2019
• Three Senatorial districts have at least (1) new additional channel/ access point for requesting or receiving SGBV services in Adamawa by end of February 2020.
• At list 10 clients a month are receiving SGBV response, referral and support services through the additional channels and access points established. At list 80 clients have received SGBV response, referral and support services through the additional channels and access points by the end of the project

Education and Personal Qualifications
The successful candidate will possess all or most of the following:

• University degree in Law, English, Communication, or other Social Sciences;
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Hausa;
• At least 5 years of work experience working in the field of development, law, Civil Society, & government owned institutions;
• Commitment, willingness, and ability to work long hours (at least 90% of contract time, including working in the evenings and night;
• Proven interest in issues of human rights, social and gender justice in northern Nigeria;
• In-depth understanding of the social, institutional, and political environment in Adamawa, including an understanding of local power structures;
• Knowledge of computer programs, including Microsoft Word and Excel;
• Evidence in program management and remote logistics support;
• Positive team player with ability to maintain good relationships across diversities of culture, gender, religion, nationality, age sensitivities and a capacity for adaptability.

Application Closing Date
16th September, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Resume and Cover Letter only to: [email protected] using their Names & Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Please Note

• Subject line of emails must state clearly the Name of Applicant, Job Title of position applied for and location. For example, Subject: Chinedu Oguaghamba, SGBV Consultant, Adamawa.
• Only Electronically submitted applications will be entertained.
• Scanned applications will be disregarded.
• Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
• Candidates are strongly advised NOT to contact the organization internally via phone calls
• The Women’s Rights Advancement & Protection Alternative (WRAPA) is an equal opportunity employer, thus, everyone especially female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this job. Candidates would NOT be discriminated against based on their gender, ethnicity, religion and other social strata.