National Consultant to Strengthen the Capacity of Family Protection Prosecution/ Home Based

UN Women (UNW), grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level. 

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

• Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.
• Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.
• Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction.

In line with the Palestinian Government’s commitment to fight Violence Against Women (VAW) as set in the National Strategy to Combat VAW, and in full partnership  with the protection, security and justice sectors’ actors, including the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP), the Public Prosecution (PP), the High Judicial Council (HJC), the Supreme Judge Department (SJD) and the Ministry of Social development (MoSD), UN Women,  within its joint programme with UNDP and UNICEF- “ “is supporting justice and security institutions in strengthening women’s access to justice and promoting women’s leadership within these institutions, through the mainstreaming of gender and women’s rights into their policies and procedures, and the development and delivery of gender-responsive and inclusive services for women victims and survivors of violence.

Building on the institutional achievements of the Family Protection Prosecution (FPP) and its demonstrated impact in enhancing women’s access to justice through gender-responsive and inclusive services, this initiative will support public prosecutors in developing and institutionalizing systematic analysis of violence against women (VAW) cases. This includes examining recurring patterns of perpetrator behavior, their profiles and characteristics, and the circumstances surrounding incidents of violence, among other key variables. Such efforts will strengthen evidence-based understanding of the intersecting factors driving VAW, enhance prosecutors’ capacity to identify and assess risk factors, and inform more robust, gender-sensitive investigation and litigation strategies and processes.

Against this background, UN Women within its joint rule of law programme “Reinforcing equal access to justice for all Palestinians -Sawasya III” intends to engage a highly qualified consultant with a strong legal and/or criminological background to support the Family Protection Prosecution (FPP) in developing a structured and systematic analytical review of criminal patterns in VAW case files, including cases involving technology-facilitated violence. The assignment aims to generate robust, evidence-based insights into patterns of offending, key risk indicators, and emerging trends across cases, and to leverage this analysis to strengthen criminal justice pathways and enhance institutional responses.

The overall objective of the assignment is to strengthen the capacity of the Attorney General’s Office to develop and institutionalize gender responsive and inclusive investigation and litigation policies and procedures, grounded in evidence-based analysis. The assignment also aims to enhance the FPP’s role within the protection framework by strengthening its contribution to early identification of risks, timely protection measures, and coordinated responses for women victims and survivors of violence. Through this, the assignment will support the AGO in systematically analyzing and understanding criminal patterns in cases of violence against women (VAW), and in leveraging this evidence to improve prosecutorial practices, reinforce protection mechanisms, and strengthen overall criminal justice 

The assignment has two main specific objectives, including the following points: 

• To analyze a representative sample of VAW case files handled by the FPP (within an agreed timeframe) using a structured analytical framework 
• To identify recurring criminal patterns, including the nature of the relationship between perpetrators and victims, contextual drivers, escalation dynamics, and key risk indicators, drawing on both perpetrator profiles and anonymized victim-related factors, with particular attention to cases involving women with disabilities, including those related to cybercrime-related violence 

The consultant will be reporting to UN Women Sawasya III Rule of law and Protection Specialist and will be supported by the Prosecution and Inclusion Analyst, in addition to the CSO support and Finance Associate who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

• To develop and submit an inception report for UN Women’s review and approval, including a detailed workplan, methodology, sampling approach, and analytical framework for the review, presentation and analysis of VAW case files. The methodology will combine both quantitative and qualitative data analysis and will include the development of a structured model for identifying criminal patterns and risk indicators based on case file review. 
• To meet with UN Women’s technical team and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), including the Family Protection Prosecution (FPP), to discuss and agree on the assignment’s objectives, methodology, tools, and key deliverables, including access to case files and relevant data. 

• To submit a final narrative report that includes a description of the assignment, methodology used, observations, challenges, and recommendations for future related programming interventions.

This is a home-based consultancy with frequent visits to the Attorney General Office and District Offices in the West Bank.

• Respect for Diversity 
• Integrity 
• Professionalism 

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues 
• Accountability 
• Creative Problem Solving 
• Effective Communication 
• Inclusive Collaboration 
• Stakeholder Engagement 
• Leading by Example 

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

• Very strong background on gender equality, violence against women (VAW), and women’s access to justice. 
• Strong expertise in legal analysis of VAW cases, including case file review and identification of patterns and risk indicators.
• Demonstrates strong analytical, research, and reporting skills. 
• Demonstrated ability to develop evidence-based analysis and translate findings into practical recommendations. 
• In-depth knowledge of the justice sector in Palestine, particularly prosecutorial processes related to VAW cases. 
•  Build strong working relationships with stakeholders, respond to their needs, and supports effective coordination.  
• Communicates clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing. 
• Ability to manage time effectively and meet tight deadlines. 
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a constructive attitude. 
• Remains calm and effective under pressure.

• Master’s degree in law, Criminology, Criminal Justice, International Human Rights Law (IHRL), or a related field is required. 
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

• At least 3 years of professional working experience in legal analysis, criminal justice, or prosecution-related work, preferably in areas related to VAW cases is required.
• Professional experience in the areas of violence against women (VAW), gender equality, and women’s access to justice is required. 
• Demonstrated experience in developing analytical reports and knowledge products on women’s access to justice, or in conducting criminological research and related analytical work is required.
• Experience with justice institutions, particularly the public prosecution and/or justice sector in Palestine is desirable.
• Experience with the UN or international organizations is desirable. 
• A sample of relevant analytical work (e.g. reports, analytical frameworks, or studies related to VAW or justice sector work) must be attached as part of the application.

• Fluency in Arabic is required.
• Working Knowledge of English is desirable.