Women’s Protection and Empowerment Policy Consultant

SCOPE OF WORK

Organizational and program background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control of their future. The IRC Yemen began its programs in October 2012 and currently operates in the South and North of the country through direct programming and local partnerships.

The IRC country program in Yemen operates in Aden, Abyan, Lahj, Al Dhale’e and Shabwa, Hodeidah, and Sana'a governorates and continues to assist the affected population to achieve the following Outcomes:

• People meet their basic needs and protect livelihoods during emergencies
• Adolescents and adults are physically and mentally healthy
• Children are well nourished and protected from all forms of undernutrition
• Women and girls use timely and effective Reproductive Health (RH) services
• Women girls and boys are protected from and treated for the consequences of gender-based violence
• People are safe in their communities and receive support when they experience harm

Rationale and Purpose

Women and girls in Yemen face deeply entrenched inequality and discriminatory societal practices towards economic and social participation. Yemen currently ranks last in the Gender Gap Index and Gender Inequality Index, reflecting the severe disparities between men and women, including in education, livelihoods, protection, and political representation.

Women and girls suffer disproportionately from gender- based violence, which is exacerbated by the ongoing conflict and deteriorating economic crisis. Women and girls with disabilities, internally displaced women and girls, and women girls with marginalized backgrounds are at even greatest risk. Discrimination and gender- based violence against women and girls may manifest as physical or emotional violence, sexual violence, early and forced marriage of girls, commercialised sexual exploitation and denial of opportunities, movement, and services such as health, education, work, and civil, social, economic, cultural, and political rights. While the risks for women and girls are greatest, we know that boys in Yemen are also at risk of gender-based violence (GBV) and face challenges in accessing services.

An estimated 6.36 million women and girls in need of GBV services according Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview (2024). A total of 672 cases of GBV were reported in Yemen during 2023. 42% of cases related to psychological and emotional abuse, 25% related to denial of resources, 17% physical assault, 6% forced marriage and 6% sexual assault and rape. While comprehensive data on GBV in Yemen is scarce due to sensitivity and taboos, there is a general increase in reported incidents, including domestic violence, rape, child marriage, and harassment of women and girls. Children in particular carry psychological scars from years of violence and displacement. In 2023 , child protection case management actorssupported 17,071 most vulnerable children who were often exploited and abused.

Services remain overstretched and completely absent in some hard-to-reach areas. The lack of humanitarian space for protection activities, particularly in DFA- controlled areas, misinformation, and misconceptions at community level, and increasing restrictions on female travel, are further impacting women and girls’ ability to access lifesaving services.

In Yemen, Women’s Rights Organisations and women led organisations (WROs/WLOs) play a vital role in GBV prevention and response and increasing community and government acceptance for sensitive services. Yet, WROs/WLOs are often overlooked, underfunded, and inadequately consulted in the design of humanitarian interventions.

The IRC provides Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) services through women and girls- centred, and informed, programming which includes community engagement and advocacy. We operate Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces in communities and health facilities, and mobile safe spaces in hard- to- reach areas. This enables women and girls including those who are internally displaced, to access sensitive GBV and RH response services and build confidence and skills in a safe environment. We work in partnership with Yemeni WROs/WLOs to raise awareness of women and girls’ rights, increase community acceptance and strengthen sustainability. This work also strenghtens our understanding and ability to reach girls and boys with assistance.

Protection concerns remain among persons on the move including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and migrant populations, with service gaps in specialized protection services, including GBV observed dule limited actors. Through the ECHO funded project, the IRC offers GBV case management services to women and girls through a caseworker positioned within the Mobile Health Team. This is part of a comprehensive package of services provided to ensure that these services are accessed in a timely and non-stigmatizing manner among the migrants and those living in hard-to-reach areas. The IRC also work on identifying referral pathways to enable a multi-sectorial response to survivors.In addition, there is need to ensure grassroots advocacy with local authorities and engage with them to build their capacities on GBV.

Objectives

The purpose of the policy briefing is to explore the role of WROs, women’s associations and grassroots movements in preventing and responding to GBV against women, girls and boys in Yemen, and their perspectives on barriers to meaningful inclusion in the design and implementation of programs.

(i)It will draw on evidence from implementation of IRC’s women’s protection and empowerment programs and good practice from partnerships with local NGOs including WROs and women’s associations. The evidence collected and analyzed from the research questions will also be utilized to strengthen the engagement and leadership of WLOs within the GBV Area of Responsibility to coordinate SRHR and GBV response and hold service providers accountable.

(ii)The briefing will provide evidence-based recommendations for donors, UN agencies and the humanitarian community to improve WPE, GBV prevention and response programming in Yemen.

Research questions

1.What risks, barriers and safety concerns are faced by WLO/WROs delivering GBV services to women, girls and boys ?

(i)What are their perspectives on barriers to their inclusion in program design/implementation?

(ii)How do they define meaningful feminist partnerships?

(iii)How much funding do they receive?

2.What promising practices are being implemented at IRC to promote meaningful partnerships with WLOs/WROs to address GBV?

3.What existing support mechanisms or capacity-building initiatives are in place to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of the WRO/WLOs? How effective have these efforts been ?

4.Recommendations for strengthened WPE, GBV prevention and response programming in Yemen.

Scope of consultancy

The Consultant (s) will design an appropriate methodology based on their understanding of the expectations of the terms of reference. Data sources should be both primary and secondary in nature – examples include but are not limited to desk reviews, key informant interviews, etc. The Consultant is expected to propose his/her methods for the policy briefing that should include but not limited to:

• Drafting interview questions
• Literature review
• Mapping of WROs/WLOs
• Key Informant Interviews and/or Focus Group Discussion
• Production of policy briefing and dissemination plan

The above will be subject to safety and security considerations to protect staff and partners.

Intended Users

The intended users for the policy briefing will be:

• All interested parties in IRC including the Senior Management, Program departments, Partnerships Department
• Partners interested in learning about partnerships with ECHO and IRC
• Representatives of ECHO as the donor that has funded the project
• Donors, UN entities and wider humanitarian community

Reporting Arrangements

The Consultant will report to the PAC Coordinator in close collaboration with the Country Director and Regional MENA Advocacy Director.

Duration of assignment

The consultancy should not last more than 30 working days, excluding weekends. The final schedule will be discussed and agreed on during the inception meeting.

DELIVERABLES

1.Production of policy briefing note (4-5pp)

2.FGDs/KIIs with WRO/WLOs

3.Advocacy and dissemination plan