Consultant to support the launch and dissemination of the regional study on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Africa

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It has a membership of 179 Member Parliaments. The IPU promotes democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. It works for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action. These objectives are pursued through the Organization’s political and programmatic work, which includes research, standard-setting, knowledge dissemination, technical cooperation and capacity-building.

The IPU recognizes gender equality as a key component of democracy and works to achieve equal participation of men and women in politics. It has a long-standing programme to support parliaments in facilitating women’s access to parliament, promoting gender equality and taking action to end violence against women and girls. In recent years, it has focused on the question of harassment and violence against women in parliament.

In 2016, the IPU published a first study on sexism, harassment and violence against women parliamentarians. The IPU subsequently launched a series of regional studies to enrich the documentation and understanding of the issue. The regional studies aim to deepen research and enhance the quality of the analysis of sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament by exploring and taking into consideration the specific context of each region.

In 2018, a study on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Europe was carried out in partnership with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

A regional study on parliaments in Africa is currently being carried out in partnership with the African Parliamentary Union (APU). The study is based on more than 220 confidential interviews conducted with women members of parliament and parliamentary staff in 49 parliaments in Africa. The study will be published in November 2021.

Tasks

The Consultant will assist the IPU, and specifically its Gender Partnership Programme, in the publication, launch and dissemination of the regional study on sexism, harassment and gender-based violence experienced by women members of parliament and parliamentary staff in African countries.

The Consultant will devise tools to highlight the data analysed in and results obtained by the study and develop a strategy for launching the publication, including communication tools to disseminate the study to parliaments in Africa and around the world, and to promote the implementation of the study’s recommendations.

Key deliverables

• Contribute to the development of tools to highlight the data analysed in and results obtained by the study to support parliaments in Africa and around the world to promote efficient measures to ensure the respect of the fundamental human rights of women and to create inclusive work environments free from all forms of sexist harassment and violence against women.
• Provide feedback on the final draft of the publication and contribute to reviewing its translation into other languages.
• Develop and implement a dissemination strategy for the study adapted to in-person, virtual and hybrid formats for the official launch of the publication on the regional level in one African country and on the national level in parliaments in Africa.
• In partnership with the APU, organize a regional conference of African parliaments on the occasion of the International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women to officially launch the study and provide a framework for parliamentarians to discuss and exchange their points of view on sexism and sexist violence within parliaments, and propose concerted solutions and mobilize parliamentary action on the national level.  
• Develop and propose to parliaments ready-for-use toolkits to launch the study.
• Respond to requests by parliaments for support in awareness-raising and implementation of the study’s recommendations.
• Follow up on the dissemination of the study in African parliaments and assess its impact.
• Contribute to the promotion and dissemination of the study’s results among the Members of the IPU, the United Nations, and international and African inter-parliamentary organizations.  
• Assist the project manager in any other tasks related to the study.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

• Parliamentarians
• Parliamentary staff
• Staff of the IPU and APU Secretariats, and from other regional parliamentary assemblies in Africa

Qualifications and competencies

• University degree in social science, political science or law; specialization in gender studies an asset.
• Five years’ work experience in work related to gender equality, women’s rights and/or violence against women.
• Proven experience in research work and surveys, especially in relation to ending violence against women; published work an asset.
• Experience in the design and implementation of a dissemination strategy for a study on violence against women, in particular violence against women in politics, and in the production of didactic and communications tools.
• Experience in the organization of regional and international parliamentary conferences.
• Sound experience in a parliamentary setting desirable as well as familiarity with the work of international organizations; knowledge of African context an asset.
• Knowledge of statistics and the use of research indicators.
• Personal attributes: initiative, motivation, tact, discretion and sound judgement.
• Complete fluency in English or French and working ability in both languages; some knowledge of additional languages (particularly Arabic and Portuguese) desirable.
• Aptitude for human contact and resourcefulness; team spirit; adaptability to varying working environments and conditions.

• General computer skills (MS Office applications, internet).

Conditions of work

The Consultant will undertake this work over a time frame starting on 9 August 2021 and concluding on 31 December 2021 (with a possibility of contract extension). Within this period the Consultant is expected to work a total of 60 days at the rate of approximately 9 days per month. A detailed working plan will be established.

The Consultant can be home-based. Work will entail travel as needed (to be determined) for the launch and dissemination of the study, but subject to restrictions owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The IPU shall cover the travel expenses of the missions that the Consultant will carry out for the purposes of this assignment.

Employment conditions

The External Collaborator is an independent contractor, is not considered to be an official or employee of the IPU and is not subject to the IPU Staff Regulations and Staff Rules. The External Collaborator is not entitled to recover from the IPU any income tax payable in respect of the fee provided under this contract and shall be solely liable for the payment of any national income tax due in respect of the emoluments payable under this contract. The External Collaborator will not be included in the IPU pension scheme.