TERMS OF REFERENCE

TERMS OF REFERENCE

For an organisation or individual organizer to plan and host a study tour for a group of specialists form Tajikistan, on the topic of social re-integration and referral systems for persons in penal institutions and released persons

 Study tour to a selected EU country for civil society actors, human rights defenders and state actors.

Project: Protecting the Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights of prisoners and Ex-prisoners in Tajikistan (SECRET 4)

Location: Germany

Timeline: September - October 2023 (study tour itself), with planning starting as of June

Project donor: European Union / German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development

Client: Institute for International Cooperation of the German Association for Adult Education (DVV International)

DVV International is the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Association for Adult Education (Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e.V) and is the international department of the German Association (DVV), which represents the interests of approximately 900 adult education centers (Volkshochschulen) - the largest providers of continuing education in Germany.

DVV International's activities cover three levels: the first level - contribution to policies, strategies, standards, legislation and funding at the national level (macro-level), the second level - building institutional capacity and strengthening the professionalism of organizations and trainers (meso-level) and, the third level - support of various courses for the population with the potential to use their experience and multiplication at the national, regional and international level (micro-level).

DVV International has been operating in Tajikistan through a Branch office since 2009.

Project description:

Overall objective: To contribute to a peaceful and inclusive society with focus on social, economic, and cultural rights in Tajikistan by providing access to justice for one of the most disadvantaged groups of the population – prisoners and ex-prisoners.

Specific objective: To strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Tajikistan by improving the resocialization process and expanding access to education, legal support, and consultations for ex-prisoners and prisoners.

Target group(s):

Representatives of CSO’s the staff members of the Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law (BHR) and NGO Jahon, representatives of state and non-state actors - Main Department on Criminal Penalty Execution, Ministry of Justice, Prison Administrations, Employment Agency and National Adult Training Centre under the Ministry of Labour.

The project is being implemented in 4 cities and regional centers of Tajikistan, including Dushanbe, Khorog, Khujand, Bokhtar region through:

• building the capacities of two local CSOs as well as prison staff, and providing psychosocial services to local CSOs and human rights defenders promoting critical human rights and democracy

• promoting justice, peaceful and inclusive societies for one of the most disadvantaged groups of the population – prisoners and ex-prisoners – through reducing stigmatisation

OBJECTIVE

A one-week study tour to Germany will be organized for the civil society actors, human rights defenders, and state actors. This tour aims to focus on vocational training and employment opportunities for prisoners and ex-prisoners. During the tour, participants will undergo specialized training sessions on psychosocial support and have the opportunity to explore international best practices and innovative working methods in this field. Decision-makers and key personnel from state institutions will have the opportunity to engage with human rights defenders. This interaction will play a vital role in influencing and shaping the implementation of strategies, leading to a shift in approaches. This collaboration and exchange of knowledge will contribute significantly to the desired transformation in strategy implementation.

Program Components:

Suggested topics

• Brief introduction on the penitentiary system of the hosting country;
• Penitentiary system reforming stages and actions taken by the Government;
• Discussion and Feedback on the challenges of penitentiary institutions in Tajikistan;
• Educational programs for different categories for prisoners, excluding minors;
• Low cost/high impact educational programs for prisoners and ex-prisoners;
• Probation services;
• Presentation of challenges faced by ex-prisoners upon release in Tajikistan: sharing experience;
• State and non-state re-socialization programs for ex-prisoners;
• Role of non-governmental sector (NGOs) in penitentiary system development;
• Program evaluation session or action planning session.

Suggested site-visits

• Penitentiary institutions supervisory department;
• Various penitentiary institutions, including women and men detention institutions, correctional labour (meetings with administration, penitentiary staff involved in psychological, educational and social services for prisoners);
• Organizations involved in the psychological self-protection of human rights for (ex)-prisoners;
• State and non-state organizations implementing re-socialization programmes for ex-prisoners;
• Cultural and educational sites.

SHORT Summary of ENVISAGED Group Profile

The group of 12 participants from Tajikistan will comprise be represented by the supervisory staff from the Ministry of Justice and Main Department of Penalty Execution, the Female Prison in Nurek town, the Male Prison in Yavan town, Employment Agency and National Adult Training Centres under MoL, Legal Aid Centers, Institute of In-service Training for Law-enforcement Bodies, NGOs “Jahon”, “Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law”, as well as and DVV International Tajikistan country office. The local interpreter will be hired locally in at the hosting country.

Expected results

First-hand experience gained by the participants through the site visits will be directly applied to:

• Support the implementation of the vocational skills development training, civic education, entrepreneurship skills development, legal awareness initiatives, legal aid support and personal development programmes for (ex)-prisoners of both genders in Tajikistan;
• Continue delivering improved services to the various target groups;
• Improve communication and cooperation with state actors during the collaborative implementation of the state Program of vocational training and employment of prisoners in institutions of the criminal justice system and individuals released from prison for the period 2021-2030;
•  The partner CSOs will acquire additional expertise in psychosocial support and gain valuable insights into international experiences regarding state-of-the-art working methods. As a result, the overall capacity of the partner CSOs will be further enhanced and professionalized in a sustainable manner;
• Establishing contact with human rights defenders will actively contribute to fostering a transformative change in the approaches during the implementation of the strategy on Reforming the Penal Execution System of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period 2020-2030.
• Enhance the curriculum of the Institute of In-service Training for Law-enforcement Bodies by developing, piloting and institutionalizing of 3 new training modules on capacity building of penitentiary staff;
• Decision-makers and relevant actors within state institutions will establish contact with human rights defenders, fostering a transformative change in approaches towards the implementation of the strategy;
• Participants have the opportunity to leverage experiences from other countries and, in turn, share their own experience with others during the trip and upon their return.

Timeframe and location

A one-week study tour (8 days, 7 nights in the host country) is to be designed and conducted in the second half of September/October 2023.

The selection of the location and hosting organization will be based on the submission of proposals from interested organizations in eligible countries, focusing on the criteria of the best quality and value.

Selection Criteria

• Previous experience in hosting international groups;
• Strong contacts with state and non-state actors in the penitentiary system;
• Previous working background in human rights protection is desirable;
• Ability to provide to the group Russian interpretation;
• Ability to offer cost-effective budget – please take a note that 17,020.00 EUR as a maximal amount (includes participants’ accommodations and allowances, meals, in-country group transportation, interpreter costs and organization’s fee) are available for in-country expenses for 12 participants.

Interested organizations should forward their proposals (including letter of interest, an outline of the suggested study tour programme and financial proposal) till June 30, 2023 to Ms. Kathleen Glenz, Senior Desk Officer for Central and South Asia at the DVV International Head-Office in Bonn, and Galina Veramejchyk, DVV International’s Regional Director for Central Asia in Bishkek, at the following e-mail-addresses: glenz@dvv-international.de, veramejchyk@dvv-international.kg. 

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