TOR on Preparation of a Guidelines for Legal Aid Services at Police Stations 42 views

Background

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are an Ethiopian civil society organization re-registered on September 19, 2019 before the FDRE Civil Societies Organizations Agency in accordance with Proclamation No. 1113/2019. The objectives of the Organization includes increasing the participation and contribution of lawyers in the area of human rights through trainings and other capacity building activities, supporting lawyers across the nation and help exchange of ideas, information and experience for better protection of human rights and prevalence of human rights, litigating strategically in courts and other relevant organs to ensure protection and promotion of human rights recognized under the FDRE Constitution and other laws, creating awareness for justice organs on international human rights instruments ratified by Ethiopia, providing free or low cost legal services for victims of human rights violation particularly disadvantaged communities, influencing the government to enact new laws or amend existing ones to give full protection for human rights, familiarizing the idea of human rights defenders (HRD) among the lawyers etc.

With a view of achieve these objectives, LHR has been implementing different projects in collaboration with donors. Currently, LHR is implementing a project entitled “Advancing Human Rights through Legal Aid Services”, in consortium with Advocates Ethiopia and Mizan Young Lawyers Association with the support of Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The object of this project is to make legal aid services accessible to detainees in the early stages of criminal proceedings in police stations. The Provision of legal aid services in police stations improves the poor protection of access to justice in the early stages of criminal proceedings and contributes to the protection of the rights of detainees in police stations.

One of the activities under this project is the preparation of legal aid service guidelines. Accordingly, LHR intends to commission the preparation of a guideline on legal aid service to detained persons in police stations to render the service effectively, and monitor and follow up legal aid activities.

The objective of the Assignment

The objective of this assignment is to prepare a guideline that will be used to provide legal aid services in police stations located in Addis Ababa, Adama, and Hawassa and make legal aid services accessible to detainees in the early stages of criminal proceedings in police stations. This guideline is intended to ensure standard working procedures in the legal aid service which is planned to be rendered. Hence,  it should include, among others, the eligibility criteria for the detainees to benefit from the legal aid services, types of cases to be handled, and procedures to be followed by pro bono lawyers and paralegals in rendering legal aid services.

Scope of the Work

The scope of the work includes the preparation of guidelines that will be used in the provision, monitoring, and follow-up of legal aid services to be rendered in a police station. Hence, the guideline should at least address the following:

1. The Ethiopian criminal justice system;
2. Constitutional right to access to justice through legal aid services;
3. Legal Frameworks ( substantive and procedural) addressing the rights of detained persons under international and national laws;
4. The Eligibility criteria for members of the society to benefit from the free legal aid service;
5. Types of cases to be handled, procedures to be followed by the secretaries, paralegals, and pro bono lawyers;
6. The types of services rendered i.e. representation, counseling ;
7. Procedures and manners of delivery of legal aid service by mobile centers;
8. Manners of collaboration with local community leaders and informal Organizations;
9. Provisions of legal aid service in police stations;
10. Developing formats for keeping data of beneficiaries and reporting formats;

Methodology

The expert is expected to use the appropriate methodology to produce standard legal aid services guidelines.

Deliverables and Timelines

•  Submission of the draft legal aid service guidelines in 25 working days.
• Incorporation of the feedbacks and submission of the draft of the guideline.
• Presentation of the guideline to pro bono lawyers in the event to be organized by LHR.

Required Qualifications

•  At least a Master’s Degree in Law, with a focus on criminal law and human rights;
• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in criminal law and human rights areas;
• Experience in developing legal aid guidelines and manuals is an asset;
• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner;
• Excellent experience in writing and legal education;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills, and attention to details;
• Excellent skill in written and spoken English;
• Excellent computer skills and knowledge of internet communications.