International Researcher, assessment on the smuggling phenomena in Benin, Togo and Guinea Conakry

Duty Station: Home Based and Field Visits to Benin and Togo

Position Title: International Researcher (migrant smuggling)

Type of Appointment: Consultancy

Organizational Location: IOM Accra, Ghana

Period: From 15 November 2014 to 15 February 2015

Assignment Duration: 51 working days

A. BACKGROUND

Worldwide communities and individuals engage in both regular and irregular migration in search of better livelihoods and to improve their overall standard of living. IOM experience in providing assistance to stranded migrants found in West Africa has shown that in countries of origin individuals are often lured by the false promises of human smugglers. Organized rings of unscrupulous human traffickers and smugglers are often involved in orchestrating this process. Migrant smuggling is an important source of revenue for organized criminal networks. They prey upon their victims by demanding large sums of money and organizing hazardous journeys with migrants often abandoned along the route. Push factors for migration are complex and range from political instability, ethnic and land disputes, socio-economic conditions to climate change leading to displacement and migration. Vulnerable migrants, who migrate to or become stranded within West and Central Africa, and associated criminal networks of human smugglers, pose an increasing migration management challenge for governments in the region.

During their irregular journey, migrants are subject to economic exploitation; physical and psychological abuse, including gender-based violence; arbitrary detention; destitution; compromised health; and even loss of life. These vulnerabilities demonstrate the need for a robust identification and referral mechanism in West and Central Africa. However, due to the lack of knowledge about the scope of migrant smuggling or resources in the region, such referral mechanisms are often not in place. A strict definition and categorization of migrants (victims of trafficking, smuggled migrants, unaccompanied minors etc.), despite being legally relevant, does not capture the variety of circumstances in which migrants could find themselves in West Africa; an area characterized by free movement (ECOWAS countries), internal and regional displacement, and irregular migration from outside the region. Specific data and analysis on smuggling in persons including the profile of migrants, unaccompanied minors and victims of smuggling is lacking in West and Central Africa.

In an effort to better grasp the magnitude and nature of irregular migration and smuggling, IOM seeks to conduct an assessment that aims to examine the extent of the phenomenon, the current level of stakeholders’ awareness on both issues, the on-going governmental actions undertaken, and to make appropriate recommendations for future interventions to achieve migration management objectives.

The assessment will serve to inform and guide both policy and programmatic interventions. It aims to assist governments to develop a comprehensive response to smuggling networks in their purview. The findings will also be disseminated within the ECOWAS region through the Free Movement of Persons and Migration (FMM) West Africa project, which supports migration data management, border management, labour migration and combating trafficking in persons in West Africa[1].

C. SCOPE OF THE WORK

Under the framework of the project ‘Global Assistance to Irregular Migrants’ funded by the Government of Canada, and under the overall guidance of the Chief of Mission in Accra, in coordination with the Regional Thematic Specialist in Dakar, the Migration Research Division in Geneva, and under the direct supervision of the Project Manager based in Accra, the International Researcher will be responsible for the following duties:

Produce an analytical report on smuggling covering Benin, Guinea Conakry[2] and Togo. The researcher will base the work on (a) literature review of counter smuggling (CS) in three targeted countries (Benin. Guinea Conakry and Togo) and in the ECOWAS region; (b) field visits in Benin and Togo to conduct interviews with government department and international organizations, NGOs and any other organizations working on trafficking- and smuggling-related areas (i.e police, human trafficking police units, migration and border officials, health/social services).

In Guinea Conakry, the literature review and the interviews with stakeholders working in smuggling-related areas will be performed by a National Researcher. The National Researcher will follow and implement in Guinea Conakry the methodology developed by the International Researcher, and will submit to him/her a draft and a final report for this country.

The International Researcher will benefit from the support of IOM offices in Benin and Togo for travel arrangements, identification of stakeholders and arrangements of interviews, and for all logistics in case of in-country visits. The international researcher will travel one time each to the Benin and Togo and will spend an average of 10 working days per country. S/he will participate in a debriefing with the Project Manager after the completion of each country visit through conference calls. The report should include – but is not limited to- the following elements:

• Literature review on national and regional legal frameworks on CS,
• Identification of general vulnerability factors, and profile of smuggled migrants, with a gender perspective;
• Assessment of the migratory patterns (including countries or regions of origin, transit, and destination), and cross-border transportation methods used in smuggling;
• Identification of the methods of coercion used in the exploitation of smuggled victims; and when available a record of potential cases of human rights violations for victims of smuggling identified by the authorities
• Assessment of the government tools and existent actions to prevent smuggling, and the identification of gaps where reinforcement is required;
• Assessment of the assistance currently provided to irregular migrants, which includes smuggled and exploited migrants, unaccompanied minors and victims of trafficking, in selected countries by governmental, intergovernmental agencies and by non-governmental organizations, and the identification of gaps where assistance is required; and
• Assessment of the extent to, and areas in which further counter-smuggling action is needed.

D. OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES

The following outputs are expected from the consultant:

1. Proposal for a methodology of assessment, and for a report structure (for pre-approval) (latest 10 days after start)
2. Travel to targeted countries and, with support of IOM country offices, conduct a minimum of 20 individual or focus group interviews (per country), with relevant governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations, and when relevant with migrants or communities (to be completed latest mid-December 2014).
3. Submit a first draft of the report, as well as an executive summary and a power point document presenting preliminary results (latest mid-January 2014). The report must be written in the French language.
4. Review and revise the report based upon the comments of all relevant partners on the draft report, and submit final report (latest mid-February 2014).
5. The researcher must be ready to participate in a conference that will be organized by IOM to present the results of the project. The date will be defined at a later stage, but could fall after the completion of the contract.

F. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The assessment calls for the following qualifications and experience:

• Advanced degree in Political Science, Law, International Relations or Social Sciences;
• Five years of experience in working in the field of migration, migrant’s rights, human trafficking or migrant smuggling; some field work in Africa preferred;
• Experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative research on irregular migration, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, human rights, mixed migration, transnational organization crime or related areas; and developing relevant research tools; especially among the target group in West and Central Africa;
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity to gender issues, ability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion when dealing with victims of trafficking and smuggling. The researcher will be abiding by IOM guidelines on confidentiality and ethics.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, under tight deadlines and challenging circumstances and pay attention to detail.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.); and
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written in French and English.

Note the research in Guinea Conakry will be completed with the assistance of a National Researcher.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested Candidates are requested to submit cover letter and CV to:

Ana PEREZ Project Manager IOM Accra aperez@iom.int

Closing date: 15 November 2014, postponed to 24 November 2014 Due to the urgency of the recruitment, applications will start to be screened upon reception, and applicants may be contacted for interviews before the closing date. Information on consultancy fees and financial arrangements will be provided to and discussed only with selected candidates. .