Consultant

South Asia Women Foundation India

About the organization

SAWF IN seeks legal experts to develop a comprehensive 7-module curriculum aimed at strengthening the capacities of lawyers practicing in district courts. This effort is critical to equipping lawyers with the knowledge, perspective and skills to extend quality services, especially to those from marginalized and vulnerable communities, while effectively advocating for systemic change for gender justice and accountable institutions.

The curriculum should center on criminal and civil litigation concerning violations of the rights of women and queer individuals, including intimate partner violence, natal family violence, sexual violence, obstructions to and violations of life and liberty, matrimonial disputes (such as divorce, maintenance, custody of children), family disputes (including property and inheritance rights), and hurdles to safe and dignified work.

Objectives

The key objectives of this curriculum are

• To strengthen the capacities of lawyers toward adopting feminist approach to law and practice to address gender-based violence and discrimination toward achieving gender equality and facilitating access to justice and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions.

• To provide practical and theoretical knowledge on criminal and civil litigation related to the rights of women and queer individuals.

• To promote an ecosystem approach in regular legal practice, ensuring lawyers recognize and challenge structural barriers to justice.

• To produce a toolkit that can fill the gaps in guidance to develop quality legal skills among diverse women and trans* lawyers, especially at the district courts

Scope of Work

Research and Content Development

• Collect relevant legal materials, including case law, statutes, sample drafts and frameworks related to feminist lawyering, access to justice for all, fair and transparent institutions and gender justice.

• Develop the content of the 7 modules, ensuring that it covers key legal areas including

Human rights and fundamental guarantees to equality and non-discrimination
Intimate partner violence
Natal family violence including disputes concerning property and inheritance rights
Sexual offences
Violations against life and liberty
Matrimonial disputes, including divorce, maintenance and child custody
Ensuring safe and dignified work

• Ensure that the content is accurate, up-to-date, and reflective of feminist lawyering practices and quality case building and drafting skills.

• Prepare the module content in a format that is adaptable for online and offline use.

Pedagogy and Design

• Translate the legal content into a learner-friendly format, ensuring it is accessible and engaging for lawyers practicing in district courts.

• Design the modules with a user-paced structure suitable for both online and offline platforms.

• Incorporate interactive elements, such as illustrations, case studies, practical exercises, assessments, sample drafts, etc. to enhance learning outcomes.

Consultants should bring a collaborative and innovative mindset, ensuring the curriculum aligns with our objectives to strengthen legal capacities and promote feminist practices for gender justice. Some skills we will be looking out for:

• A strong track record of working on gender justice issues through engagement with law and its practice.

• Expertise in analyzing legal case law, statutes, and frameworks to ensure accuracy and relevance in content.

• Awareness of structural and systemic barriers to justice and strategies to address them.

• Experience in identifying gaps in existing resources and proposing innovative solutions.

• Knowledge of adult learning principles and strategies to design engaging, practical, and user-paced modules.

• Proficiency in integrating interactive elements, such as case studies, illustrations, and exercises, into training modules.

• Ability to design assessments and practical tools that enhance learning outcomes.

• Experience in developing content adaptable for both online and offline use.

Key Deliverables

• Seven modules focusing on strengthening criminal and civil litigation skills related to the rights of women and queer communities. Modules that include: --

Legal frameworks and relevant case law.
Practical application of feminist lawyering principles.
Interactive learning materials including to enhance case building and legal drafting skills.

A learner-friendly, user-paced product that can be adapted to different platforms, with clear guides for facilitators and users.

Expected Outcomes from Curriculum

• Lawyers will recognize and critically analyse the structural, systemic and social barriers faced by diverse women and trans* persons in accessing justice, claiming entitlements and seeking rightsbased legal remedies.

• Integration of human rights and gender justice perspectives in regular legal practice.

• Enhanced engagement of lawyers with legal aid systems, key institutions and monitoring mechanisms (e.g., DLSA, SLSA, NCW, SCW, CWC, PO, etc.).

• Women and trans* lawyers will have strengthened capacities to claim space and voice within the legal system and profession.

Timeline

The assignment is to be completed by February 28th, 2025

Budget

The total cost for the project is estimated at ₹580,000 (inclusive of all applicable taxes). This covers all the costs of content and curriculum development, formulation of pedagogy and design into a user-friendly form.

If interested submit your proposals to womensfundindia@gmail.com and legalfellowship.sawfin@gmail.com by November 30th, 2024

Note

The proposal should contain the following: