Consultancy: To map, analyze and report on HIV-related criminal laws in MENA

Project Description

The MENA region remains one of the regions in the world with constant discrimination against people living with HIV, many of whom are also members of marginalised and criminalised communities, leading to lack of access to justice because of laws and security challenges in their countries.

Project Location : Algeria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Sudan and Yemen

M-Coalition in collaboration with the HIV Justice Network is planning to document punitive laws aimed at people living with HIV in MENA as they intersect with punitive laws impacting key populations (i.e., gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, sex workers and people who use drugs) and subsequent state and social violence. To this end, M-Coalition is looking for a legal and policy analyst to map both the relevant laws and their application through a combination of desk-based research and working with lawyers and/or community-based organisations who work with people living with HIV and/or key populations. The resulting information will be written up as a report, with relevant data also included in HJN’s Global HIV Criminalisation Database. The project will focus on all countries on of the MENA region, on the understanding that information in some countries may be difficult or impossible to obtain.

1.2 Job Description

The consultant will be hired for the period of commencing from (mid-late?) September to no later than 1^st December 2021 to undertake research and analysis and to write the report. The report will be written in English (and subsequently translated into French and Arabic). Laws should be provided in their original language with the relevant sections translated into English.

1.3 Objectives

The deliverables of this consultancy will be:

A report detailing

• An overview of what HIV criminalisation is, and how it undermines the HIV response.
  • To include a summary of current research showing that HIV criminalisation has a negative impact on public health and human rights by reducing access to health and by increasing stigma.
  • To also include a summary of what the leading international and domestic agencies say about HIV criminalisation.
  • To also include resources explaining how to intervene in cases and how scientific evidence should be used in court.
• An understanding the relevant laws and cases in MENA.
  • To include documenting and analysing laws used to criminalise people living with HIV ostensibly based on their HIV-positive status (but possibly using HIV as an excuse to persecute members of key populations and/or women), and how such laws have been applied.
  • To include precedent-setting cases and case studies of those accused.
  • To include documenting police practices, describe how police investigate alleged HIV criminalisation cases.
  • If community education advice and/or advocacy exists, this should also be documented. 

The inclusion of relevant research and other data in the HJN Global Criminalisation Database

1.4 Requirements

Candidates should have the following:

• 5 to 6 years of experience of community-based research
• Experience in dealing with legal issues and discrimination related to key populations and HIV criminalisation.
• Previous experience in working with the HIV and/or LGBTIQ+ communities
• Good reporting and analytical skills.
• Flexible and can work under pressure.
• Good language skills. Arabic, French, English are all desirable .

1.5 Timeline

The research and analysis should commence on appointment, will require the consultant to provide regular updates to M-Coalition (exact schedule to be determined) and the production of a final draft report delivered by 1st December 2021 at the latest.