ToR for a consultant to develop case studies aimed at showcasing the present system of identification, referral, and protection of victims of HT and GBV in Serbia

Published on October 15, 2023, by Atina – Citizens' Association for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and All Forms of Violence against Women (i.e., NGO Atina)

Project title: Improving referrals and services for migrant and refugee survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking in Serbia.

INTRODUCTION
NGO Atina is implementing the project “Improving referrals and services for migrant and refugee survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking in Serbia” with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland acting through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

The overall objective of the project is to improve the position of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Serbia with the experience of human trafficking and exploitation, as well as other forms of GBV, and to make them the agents of change in the relevant socio-political context. The action intends to improve operating procedures within local and national state institutions and enhance the identification and referral system of cases of gender-based violence and human trafficking. This is done through two key areas of activities which aim to: a) improve the identification, referral, and support to victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence among the migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, and b) improve the exercising of rights and access to services for women and girls from the population of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers at risk of human trafficking and gender-based violence, with a specific emphasis on gender component.

RATIONALE
In the US Department of State 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, Serbia is placed in the Tier 2 List as a country of origin, transit, and final destination due to, among other reasons, not having sufficient results in the areas of recognition and protection of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers victims of human trafficking, lacking procedures for referrals and prosecution of cases of human trafficking as well as cases of GBV that are involving migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Children, women, and men, Serbian nationals, are being predominantly trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation both within the country and abroad (mainly in European countries). There are also foreigners trafficked in Serbia, especially migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, as the country is still affected by the consequences of the European Migration crisis that began in 2015, the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan, and the war in Ukraine.

After the Balkan migrant route was closed in 2016, refugees and migrants in Serbia found themselves in the situation of a so-called extended stay, and they have remained in such a position ever since. Currently, according to the latest UNHCR Report for April 2022, there are 5,029 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Serbia (predominantly coming from armed conflict countries or unsafe countries). A total of 4,236 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are accommodated in state-run Asylum and Reception Centers, while the remaining number stays in different informal locations around the country. The majority of them are stranded in Serbia and are waiting for opportunities to continue their journey, which is being realized through smuggling and human trafficking and very often accompanied by gender-based violence. This places them all in a highly vulnerable position and at the mercy of smugglers and other criminals. Also, thousands are not registered and are invisible to the system. Migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking women and children are exposed to high risk of multiple forms of violence and exploitation, such as physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, labor and sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, survival sex, forced and child marriages, etc. The refugee crisis only exacerbated their situation; at the same time, refugee women and children who survived violence and exploitation experience difficulties in reaching essential support services, such as safe accommodation, health care, legal assistance, as well as access to justice.

The position of migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking women and girls in Serbia in such circumstances is even more complex and challenging. Atina’s latest survey on the prevalence of violence among migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking women and girls found that 74.9% of them suffered some form of violence in the country of origin and during transit from partners, family members, smugglers, traffickers, other refugees, and service providers.

The official reports and data collected on the ground during everyday work are disproportionate and significantly differ, which indicates two insufficiencies - not a sufficient number of identified cases and the fact that victims of sexual exploitation represent most identified cases of human trafficking. On the other hand, cases of labor exploitation, as well as forced marriage, forced begging, human trafficking for pornographic purposes, and forced criminality remain identified in a much lower percentage. 

SCOPE OF WORK
A consultant with a specific background in the area of combating human trafficking and protecting the victims is to develop case studies aimed at showcasing the current system of identification, referral, and protection of victims of HT and GBV in Serbia.

The work will encompass the creation of five cases that will present the current situation in this area (within the last three years), as well as multiple forms of exploitation and reactions of the support system. The goal is to present these cases so that all the relevant professionals in Serbia can use them as a guide on how to respond to newly emerging trends to increase detection, referrals, and identification and to enable the lessons learned to be applied in practice to a greater extent.

The information necessary for the completion of work will be provided by continuous monitoring of the HT and GBV cases done throughout the project implementation, recorded instances of respect and violations of victims’ rights, the collected data on trends, challenges in the identification of individual cases, and mapping of relevant stakeholders on local and national level.

 
BUDGET
 NGO Atina will negotiate a number of days of engagement with the selected expert based on the financial offer (gross amount) that will classify the following:

*Add columns as needed depending on the number of activities necessary to perform the assignment

            Subtotal                                               RSD__________

            Other costs (specify)                          RSD__________

            TOTAL                                               RSD__________

The total cost should cover all preparatory work regarding the job description and communication costs between the Project team, experts, and organizations (e-mail, telephone, fax, mail).
 
BIDDING PROCEDURE
The interested consultant should develop and submit the bidding proposal in English to respond to the above-mentioned specific tasks by November 28, 2023.  The bidding proposal should include the following:
1. Description and contact details of the expert applying;
2. A detailed Budget Proposal (in the required form);
3. CV of expert involved emphasizing only relevant experience;
4. Past performance in similar areas of an expert applying concerning previous contracting agencies.

SELECTION CRITERIA
The project team will decide on the selection of the most successful bidder, subject to the available budget, on the following four criteria:
University degree in the relevant field;
A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience;
Experience of the candidate in performing similar projects or programs;
An example of previous work as a reference to previous experience is desirable.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF BID
All bids need to be submitted no later than November 28, 2023, at 5 PM electronically to the email marija.pantelic@atina.org.rs
A selection will be made by November 30, 2023, and the selected consultant will be contracted by December 1, 2023. Only the selected candidate will be informed.