The consultant will work under the supervision of the responsible Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer at the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section, Division for Treaty Affairs
of UNODC. The consultant will be undertaking the following activities:
1) Conduct desk-based research on existing domestic homicide or violent death review committees and identify relevant experts, ideally from a variety of countries and legal systems, who are in a position to share experiences, lessons learned, shortcomings and opportunities in relation to domestic homicide or violent death review committees, especially concerning their potential use in low- and middle-income countries.
2) Prepare an outline of the background paper and a list of experts to be consulted, and submit them to UNODC for review and feedback.
3) Conduct additional research, taking into account UNODC feedback, and consult identified experts, including via email, telephone and online interviews or focus group meetings.
4) Prepare a draft background paper on domestic homicide or violent death review committees, based on the research and consultations with relevant experts, and submit it to UNODC for review and feedback. The draft should include a set of action-oriented recommendations to support the development of a set of international technical guidelines on domestic homicide or violent death review committees.
5) Submit the final background paper, including action-oriented recommendations and concrete follow-up suggestions for UNODC programming, as well as a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the main findings and recommendations of the paper.
6) Ensure the application of UN and UNODC policies and strategies on all above tasks, especially on gender mainstreaming, disability inclusion and intersectionality.
Home based
November-January 23
Gender-based violence against women (GBVAW) is widespread, systematic and culturally entrenched. About 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced sexual and other forms of violence. Violence by a husband, a male intimate partner or other family member remains the most widespread form of gender-based violence against women globally, according to the most recent prevalence estimates published by WHO in 2021. Women are also much more likely than men to be killed by their intimate partners or family members, according to global homicide data collected by UNODC.
While there has been progress in many countries in terms of having legal and policy frameworks to address specific forms of GBVAW, the justice sector’s response to GBVAW and gender-related killing is still notably deficient and often is not functioning at a level required to address the severity and extent of the problem, too often with lethal outcomes. Crimes involving gender-based violence against women are among the most under-reported and the least likely to end in conviction. Survivors often face gaps in criminal law and procedure, gender stereotypes, victim blaming and inadequate responses of criminal justice institutions and professionals, leading to secondary victimization. Studies across the globe illustrate that only a minority of cases of GBVAW are ever reported to the police and an even smaller percentage of reported cases result in charges laid against a perpetrator, and in only a small fraction of those cases is there a conviction.
The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated these challenges. Although global data on the impact of lockdowns on gender-related killing are patchy, staying at home clearly did not mean staying safe for many women. In April 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Secretary-General, in his appeal for a cease-fire throughout the world, recognized the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on levels of domestic violence (using the expression “shadow pandemic”) and expressly called on countries to combat GBVAW while responding to the pandemic. A global review published by UNODC in 2021 revealed the negative impact of COVID-19 on criminal justice responses to GBVAW, which includes a series of additional challenges for the police, prosecution services, the judiciary and other parts of the criminal justice system in delivering services and remedies to women and girls subject to violence.
Since 2022, Member States have at their disposal a new UN framework for measuring the gender-related killings of women and girls (also referred to as “femicide/feminicide”), developed by UNODC and UN Women. Beyond statistical data, it is important to carry out in-depth reviews of cases of gender-related killing, in order to improve criminal justice responses and prevent such killing. As the most extreme form and often the tragic end of domestic gender-based violence, such cases hold a wealth of lessons that often go unexplored and can inform institutional reforms by answering key questions: how did agencies and professionals react to early incidents of violence; how did they work together across sectors -health, social services, police, criminal justice; what opportunities were missed and why. Observations from past cases can also inform practical changes in national and local policies and criminal procedures, leading to improved access to services for victims, and increased coordination, swiftness and effectiveness in services’ responses. It can also contribute to a better understanding of gender-based violence and to long-term prevention efforts.
With a broader focus on domestic violence, some countries (e.g. Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand) have put in place national multidisciplinary committees and mechanisms to review domestic killings or violent deaths, in order to understand how gender-based violence in the domestic, intimate partner and family context can be prevented and reduced. The main aim of such review mechanisms and committees is not to collect statistical data or to attribute blame, but to provide action-oriented recommendations for reform, based on an in-depth analysis of the way criminal justice institutions and other services providers have responded, treated victims and collaborated with each other.
UNODC is mandated to promote crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women, in line with relevant international standards and norms adopted by the General Assembly, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other relevant instruments. Together with its partners, UNODC also supports Member States in developing and implementing strategies and policies, at the national, regional and international levels to address and prevent gender-related killing of women and girls, in line with General Assembly resolutions on this topic. UNODC offers targeted technical assistance, including through its Global Programme on Strengthening Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Responses to Violence against Women and in collaboration with its partners under the UN-EU Spotlight Initiative and the Joint UN Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence.¿ Developing the evidence base on criminal justice responses to violence against women is a key aspect of UNODC’s technical support to assist countries in aligning national criminal legislation and policy frameworks on violence against women with international standards and developing the capacity of criminal justice systems respond more promptly and effectively to violence against women and provide essential services to victims and survivors.
Purpose of and approach of the assignment:
In view of the worldwide high prevalence of domestic gender-based violence against women and gender-related killing, the present assignment aims to take stock of lessons, challenges and promising practices from existing domestic homicide or violent death review committees. It is part of a broader initiative that seeks to provide guidance on such committees could be adapted and used - particularly in low- and middle-income countries – to enhance criminal justice responses to gender-based violence against women and gender-related killing, as well as broader inter-sectoral coordination and reform.
The purpose of the assignment is to prepare of a background paper on domestic homicide or violent death review committees, based on desk-based research and consultations with relevant experts, including from academia, counterpart institutions. The background paper be considered by a technical expert group meeting on the subject, to be organized in close consultation with Member States, civil society and other relevant stakeholders, including UN Women and OHCHR.
The consultant would be expected to follow a consultative and inclusive approach to gather comprehensive information, experiences and views from a variety of relevant stakeholders, to provide an overview of experiences, lessons learned, shortcomings and opportunities in relation to domestic homicide or violent death review committees, especially concerning their potential use in low and middle income countries. In performing related tasks, the consultant would be expected to apply UN and UNODC policies and strategies on gender mainstreaming, disability inclusion and intersectionality.
Proposed period: November 2022 – January 2023
Actual work time: 30 working days
An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, international relations, social science, law, human rights, political science, international relations or criminology is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
At least 10 years of progressive professional experience in the field of prevention and responses to violence against women, with specific experience in the crime prevention and criminal justice aspects is required;
Experience in researching and drafting technical reports and background documents on issues related to violence against women, is required;
Research or work experience in relation to domestic homicide or violent death review committees is desirable;
Work experience with the UN system is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.