ToR for a Workshop facilitator for the empowerment workshops with migrant and refugee women

ToR for a Workshop facilitator for the empowerment workshops with migrant and refugee women

Terms of Reference for a Workshop facilitator for the empowerment workshops with migrant and refugee women

Published on July 15, 2022 by Atina – Citizens' Association for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and All Forms of Violence against Women (i.e. NGO Atina)

European project WeToo – Protecting mental health: Empowering frontline workers and SGBV victims and survivors. This project is implemented in Italy (Oxfam Italia Intercultura and NGO Alice), Greece (KMOP - Social Action and Innovation Center), Serbia (NGO Atina), Germany (INTEGRA e.V.) and Bulgaria (Association Animus), and is funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union.

INTRODUCTION

Recognizing the gaps in the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and EU Directives on SGBV, WeToo Project aims to enhance the capacities of frontline workers (law enforcement agencies, social workers, anti-trafficking and anti-violence operators, women’s clinic medical staff) to identify SGBV cases, manage stress and establish trust relationships with SGBV victims and survivors, in full respect of their needs. Based on a research of existing policy and practises, a multidisciplinary team of experts will develop hands-on tools and related training program to assess frontline workers’ stress and to identify mental health distress affecting SGBV victims and survivors. Empowering and psychosocial counselling guidelines and activities will be delivered to facilitate local and migrant women and girls' recovery from trauma and distress. Concurrently, awareness-raising activities and policy recommendations will be offered to promote an organizational culture more attentive to the frontline workers' needs and performance. Project’s intellectual outputs will be reviewed and evaluated by frontline operators, SGBV victims/survivors, stakeholders and competent authorities in Italy, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Germany. Validated tools will be disseminated in other EU countries for their piloting and adoption. Key actors will also participate in the workshops with their counterparts, encouraging joint responses. Frontline workers and key stakeholders will be enabled to better cope with the stress generated by working on SGBV cases, thus contributing to the successful implementation of SGBV primary prevention and response programmes. Enhanced capacities and tools will be adopted in empowering programs to support women and girls survivors and victims of SGBV in their trauma recovery. Project results will boost the national and European discussions on the quality of services provided to SGBV victims/survivors and on the capacity building of frontline workers.

RATIONALE

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) disproportionally affects women and girls also in Europe, where 33% of women have experienced physical and sexual violence since the age of 15 (FRA of the EU, 2014). In addition to the Istanbul Convention, there are specific legal and policy instruments such as EU Directives (2012/29/EU), the Reception Dir. (2013/33/EU art.25), Dir. 2011/36/EU on trafficking and Dir. 2011/99/EU on the European Protection Order, Regulation (EU) No. 606/2013 on mutual recognition of protection measures and Council Directive 2004/80/EC relating to compensation to crime victims. Their application is not fully implemented by institutions and services providers in Member States and remains unclear to women affected by violence (WAVE Report 2017). The Commission recommended implementing programs addressing the strengthening of public services, prevention and support measures, and capacity building of professionals and victim-centered access to justice (EU Gender Equality strategy 2020-2025).

In Serbia, almost 19% of the women aged 18-74 have experienced sexual and physical violence by men (UN Women, 2019), while SGBV against MR women and girls remains unknown. According to the EU gender strategy, adequate interventions for SGBV victims should include supporting actions that address frontline workers (police, health, legal and social operators), who are the first to come in contact with women and girls affected by violence and are asked to establish trust relations with SGBV victims and survivors. Mental health and social wellbeing of professionals who deal with SGBV cases are fundamental in order to respond and tackle gender-based violence, support SGBV victims and survivors, and interrupt violent relations/situations and their traumatizing consequences. During their work, frontline operators risk stress, burnout and interpersonal difficulties that might lead to re-traumatization (in case of untreated trauma history), vicarious or secondary traumatization of SGBV victims (from work conditions, especially when working with individuals who report their own traumatic experiences) and/or compassion fatigue, developed from a combination of burnout and vicarious traumatization.

Despite the delicate role played by frontline professionals, there is no official data about the quality and typology of trainings they attend during their professional life, while the high turnover of frontline staff shows the difficulties to manage stress/trauma and the lack of an organizational culture that prioritizes the safety and well-being of the staff. The need to ensure frontline professionals’ mental health while effectively protecting and supporting SGBV victims and survivors is a priority in transit and reception countries of the current forced migration flow, as well as in countries with a high rate of domestic violence that is more and more brutal and pervasive, such as Italy, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Germany. Thus, the Action targets both the public organizations (law enforcement, court, health and social services) and nongovernmental organizations (anti-violence centers, feminist associations) whose frontline staff works with women and girls survivors or victims of SGBV, and are exposed to highly stressful situations and to the risk of vicarious trauma. Specifically, it aims to increasie their organizational awareness on safety and wellbeing of their staff, and provides handout tools and recommendations to assess mental health of frontline professionals while supporting SGBV victims and survivors.

NGO Atina is a civil society organization founded in 2003 with the aim of combating human trafficking and all forms of gender-based violence and supporting the victims. For the last 18 years, Atina has been providing comprehensive support to sexual and gender-based violence survivors, including safe accommodation, case management, psychological support, economic empowerment, education, cultural mediation, etc. During this entire period, Atina was the sole provider of the safe shelter specifically designed to support HT survivors in Serbia. In 2018, Atina licensed a social service – assisted housing, and therefore gained equal status to other state-run social service providers in Serbia. Furthermore, in 2015 Atina founded its social enterprise – Bagel Bejgl bakery shop, aimed at training and empowering sexual and gender-based violence survivors, as they belong to hard-to-employ social group. As of 2015 and the eruption of the European migration crisis, which spread in the Republic of Serbia as well, NGO Atina has taken an active role in coping with its consequences, and in assisting the most vulnerable persons among this population – women and children. Given these new circumstances, Atina extended its support programs in order to properly respond to the specific needs of the migrant and refugee group, which was fleeing away from devastating conflicts in Middle Eastern, North African, and other countries. In the last five years, Atina implemented numerous projects and continues to maintain those designed to support refugees and migrants, to decrease risks of GBV among this population in general, and among women and children as the most vulnerable ones in particular, thus improving their overall living conditions while they reside in Serbia. NGO Atina has versatile and valuable experience in providing support to gender-based violence survivors among refugees and migrants, and most notably women and children. This makes NGO Atina one of the most engaged NGOs in Serbia in relation to understanding this beneficiary group, its needs, and challenges they encounter in the protection system.

SCOPE OF WORK

One workshop facilitator, with specific background in the area of facilitation and implementation, should carry out facilitation of 5 workshops for women and girls refugees and migrants, with the goal to improve the migrant women’s current position, but also influence their wider and sustainable integration into the local communities..

The workshops are intended for migrant and refugee women and girls, and are to be conducted by a specifically created methodology for work with this target population in Serbia, which contains modules and a clearly set topics and methods of work.

 

The facilitator is responsible for 3 main issues:

  1. Inviting and making sure that participants are present and participating at the workshop
  2. Facilitating 5 workshops with women and girls refugees and migrants
  3. Delivering a comprehensive report on implemented activities.

                                      

The workshops are scheduled to be realized in the period August 1 – October 31, 2022 and should take place in selected reception and asylum centers, as well as other locations agreed upon. 

Timeframe

Activities

01/08/2022 – 05/08/2022

Preparations for the workshops

06/08/2022 - 31/10/2022

Facilitation of the 5 workshops

01/11/2022 - 15/11/2022

Delivering comprehensive report on implemented activities

 

 BUDGET:

 NGO Atina will negotiate a number of days of engagement with the selected facilitator on the basis of the financial offer (gross amount) that will classify the following:

 

Activity description

Days

Rate per day

Total

Activity 1

 

 

 

 

Activity 2

 

 

 

 

Activity 3

 

 

 

 

Activity 4

 

 

 

 

*Add columns as needed depending on the number of activities needed to perform the assignment

            Subtotal                                               EUR__________

            Other costs (specify)                       EUR__________

            TOTAL                                                 EUR__________

The total cost should cover all preparatory work regarding the job description, and communication costs between the Project team, consultants and organizations (e-mail, telephone, fax, mail).

 

BIDDING PROCEDURE

The interested consultant should develop and submit the bidding proposal in the English language to respond to above mentioned specific tasks no later than July 25, 2022.  The bidding proposal should include:

1. Description and contact details of the facilitators applying;

2. A detailed Budget Proposal (in the required form);

3. CV of facilitator involved emphasizing only relevant experience;

4. Past performance in similar areas of a facilitator applying, with reference to previous contracting agencies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The project team will make a decision on the selection of the most successful bidder, subject to the available budget, on the following four criteria:

  • University degree in the relevant field;
  • A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience;
  • Experience of the candidate in performing similar projects or programs;
  • An example of previous work as a reference of previous experience is desirable.

 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF BID

All bids need to be submitted no later than July 25, 2022, at 5 PM in electronic version, to the email sanja.stegnjaic@atina.org.rs

A selection will be made no later than July 28, 2022, and the selected consultant will be contracted no later than August 1, 2022. Only the selected candidate will be informed.