Consultant Advocacy Communications and Media (Short-term consultancy) At International Justice Mission

BACKGROUND
International Justice Mission (IJM) is a global organization that protects people living in poverty from violence. IJM partners with local authorities in to combat modern-day slavery, violence against women and children, and other forms of abuse against people who are vulnerable. IJM works to rescue and restore victims, hold perpetrators accountable, and help strengthen public justice systems.

In 2004, IJM began operations in Uganda with offices in Kampala with a focus to protect widows from violent dispossession of their property. In 2012, we expanded our operations to Gulu, and later in 2017, we established a presence, in Fort Portal. IJM’s vision in Uganda is that vulnerable women and children are protected from violence by 2030.

To achieve this, IJM Uganda works to deter perpetrators of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) by supporting the justice system to enforce the law and hold perpetrators to account while supporting survivors to undertake the justice journey. Additionally, IJM Uganda works to bolster preventive and response mechanisms through equipping local, religious, traditional, and cultural leaders and communities to protect women and children; strengthening the capacities of the essential service providers; and engaging and empowering survivor groups and leaders.

DESCRIPTION
Women and children across Uganda face a cycle of violence that follows them through every stage of their lives beginning with the threat of genital mutilation pre-puberty, to the threat of early marriages, the likelihood of violence within marriage and the possibility of dispossession of their land and property when widowed. According to the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey (UDHS), 51% of women aged 15-49 years have ever experienced physical violence. More than one in five (22%) women have ever experienced sexual violence in their lifetimes. Further, nearly 10% of girls aged 15-19 and close to 20% of women aged 20-24 reported ever experiencing sexual assault, with more than half of these women experiencing it in the year preceding the survey.

IJM Uganda’s response to violence against women and children is focused on three program outcomes, namely:

1. Justice system enforces the law by holding perpetrators of violence accountable
2. Survivors are protected, supported, and empowered to undertake the justice journey
3. The justice system is strengthened through capacity building interventions and strong data collection and that key actors are engaged in contributing towards justice being served.

In order to achieve these program outcomes, IJM Uganda is seeking to recruit a short-term consultant to lead the development of the national programs Advocacy, Communications, and Media Strategy.

Scope of Work

• In alignment with the IJM Advocacy Strategy Handbook and incorporating the SSIR Advocacy Assessment Framework conditions, develop a comprehensive review of the context, actors and environmental factors that offer opportunities and challenges to the protection of women and children.
• Identify levers of strategies and tactics that are available for building a strong advocacy strategy for the protection of women and children.
• Map out advocates, allies, and coalitions that can partner with IJM Uganda in championing the protection of women and girls from the grassroots to the grass tops.
• Review existing resources and strengths of the IJM Uganda program and identify new resources and capabilities that might be required to succeed.
• Develop key advocacy messaging on protection of women and children.
• Train IJM Uganda spokespersons to be effective carriers of the message of protection of women and children.
• Moderate an engaging and participatory 5-day workshop with key IJM Uganda staff and national survivor leaders drawing out ideas and experiences to be used in developing the Advocacy, Communications and Media Strategy.
• Develop a social media strategy as an annex to the communications strategy.
• Draft the Advocacy, Communications and Media Strategy and submit to IJM Uganda for review. Incorporate feedback, validate, and submit a final strategy document to the IJM Uganda Country Director.

Location: Kampala
Timeline: 3 months
Type of support provided: The consultant is accountable to the IJM Uganda Country Director. The day-to-day point of contact will be the Coordinator, Communications and Media in consultation with the Head of Programmes.

Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree in mass communication, project management, international relations, journalism, law, social sciences and gender studies or a related field is required.

Experience: At least 8 years of relevant experience in communications, participatory community engagement or in a media / journalism role is required. The consultant will be required to demonstrate previous work developing communications, advocacy, and media strategies and /or leading national high impact campaigns.

Competencies, skills and knowledge:

• Ability to identify historic and current information and analyze key developments in violence against women and children in Uganda
• Ability to analyze data and condense it into simpler, easy-to-digest information/ comprehensible forms.
• Exceptionally strong research, analytical, writing, and editing skills are required.
• Knowledge of and experience working in gender dynamics, violence against women and children, traditional media and digital trends, and international human rights and familiarity with international human rights law; is highly desirable.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required; proficiency in other local languages is highly desirable.
• Ability to facilitate an engaging workshop in participatory action planning.
• Excellent understanding of the relevant stakeholders in the protection of women and children with a specific leaning towards the criminal justice system actors, community and religious leaders, traditional and cultural leaders, and mainstream and social media voices of influence.
• Good knowledge of a diverse range of cultures in Uganda, values, and traditions.
• Attention to detail, ability to deliver tasks on time with limited supervision
• Ability to work independently