SHORT TERM CONSULTANCY: DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGITIZED CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS CASES IN LIBERIA

 BACKGROUND

 

Starting in September 2021, IDLO began implementing a project that focuses on ­­ “Strengthening Trafficking in Persons Response in the Justice and Security Sectors in Liberia”, with support from the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). Given its mandate, IDLO focuses on providing technical and capacity-building support to the Government of Liberia to Counter Trafficking in Persons (TIP) through enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement, security, and justice actors in their response to Trafficking in Persons in Liberia. This work builds on current efforts by the Government of Liberia to Combat Trafficking in Persons and expands on the joint achievements of ongoing and previous IDLO-implemented projects on Trafficking in Persons. 

 

This project, “Strengthening Trafficking in Persons Response in the Justice and Security Sectors in Liberia”, aims to build on the current IDLO TIP intervention in Liberia (also supported by INL) and is anchored in the recommendations of the 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, including the recent downgrade of Liberia from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List. The project seeks to ensure that Liberian law enforcement and justice systems more effectively respond to TIP cases. While the Government of Liberia continues to make strides in fighting TIP, investigations remain few, convictions are still low, and challenges remain in implementing an effective response to TIP in Liberia. For instance, according to the 2021 U.S State Department TIP Report, human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Liberia, and traffickers also exploit victims from Liberia abroad. TIP within the country is more prevalent than transnational trafficking, and the majority of victims are children. Traffickers recruit and exploit most victims within the country’s borders in domestic servitude, forced begging, sex trafficking, or forced labor in street vending, gold and alluvial diamond mines, and on small-scale rubber plantations. Traffickers exploit a small number of Liberian men, women, and children in other West African countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.  

 

IDLO has supported the standardization of the training curriculum on TIP for law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges, magistrates, and other court officers. Knowledge products in the form of handbooks and bench-books have also been developed for law enforcement and justice actors coupled with the training of over 545 law enforcement and justice actors across Liberia. In order to strengthen coordination and communication, guidelines for the National Anti-Trafficking Taskforce have also been developed as well as Case Monitoring Protocols and Procedures to strengthen TIP case identification, investigation, monitoring, tracking, reporting, and follow up. IDLO continues to work with the different stakeholders on effective usage of the materials developed.  

 

While several successes have been recorded, one of the challenges that the Government of Liberia continues to face is the lack of accurate, coordinated, and reliable data on TIP cases. TIP data is not centrally generated with different institutions often recording their own separate and uncoordinated data. There is a need to effectively and centrally coordinate TIP stakeholders to collect, analyze, generate, share and report on TIP cases in a systematic, user-friendly, and well-organized manner. The absence of reliable data on TIP limits the ability to tailor strategic interventions to combat TIP in Liberia. 

 

THE ASSIGNMENT  

 

IDLO intends to support the development of a digitized case management system for law enforcement and justice actors in Liberia. It is envisaged that the case management system will link the National Anti-Trafficking Taskforce Secretariat, law enforcement agencies (including the Liberia National Police, Liberia Immigration Services, and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency), and justice actors (Prosecutors and the Judiciary). It is hoped that the case management system will enable accurate documenting and reporting of TIP cases across law enforcement and justice actors with the ability to generate varied function-based reports. 

 

IDLO seeks the services of an expert to undertake the development of a digitized case management system for Liberia. 

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

• Develop and submit an inception report for the assignment. 
• Conduct an assessment of current agency/actor case management efforts in Liberia.
• Develop and submit detailed requirements and wireframes (mockups) of the case management system, explaining Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP) services manipulation and handling, documents/uploads, and downloads, reports generation, institutional service plan structure of the data in institutional entities (with corresponding fields, relations, and validation rules).  
• Develop software for the case management system (including instructions on how to run it locally and how to deploy it in production). Functionality must be tested and confirmed by the Government of Liberia and IDLO. 
• Develop a case management system user guide that will enable the system users to fully understand the utilization of the system for data entry and analysis.
• Facilitate training for users of the case management system based on the reporting tools developed including tools in the Case Monitoring Protocol and Procedure.
• Provide hosting and maintenance information, including the system backup for up to 1 year of hosting and maintenance (starting on the date when the application is live in production).
• Create a hard-copy backup system.

 

These Terms of Reference will at all times, guide the Expert:

• Carry out the services and perform his or her tasks with reasonable care, skill and in an efficient and professional manner.
• Ensure a high degree of quality in his/her output.
• Observe strict confidentiality.
• Carry out tasks, presenting outputs to IDLO on/or before agreed deadlines.
• Be guided by these terms of reference

 

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE 

 

The ideal candidate must have the following qualifications and experiences: 

• Relevant university and academic experience. 
• Demonstrated experience in developing case management systems.
• Experience working with law enforcement, security, and justice sector actors and developing related systems/tools.
• Experience developing training and user manuals or systems standard operating procedures.
• Experience working in post-conflict and developing countries.
• Experience developing systems or tools for use in post-conflict countries.

 

REPORTING AND SUPERVISION

 

The Consultant will report to the IDLO Liberia Country Manager and/or to any other reporting line as may be determined

by IDLO Liberia. 

 

ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME 

 

The assignment will commence on November 15th, 2021 to December 18th, 2021.  The work will be undertaken over a period of 30 (thirty) working days. The assignment will be undertaken on an output basis at a lump sum rate to be spread across the delivery period for the services rendered in furtherance of these terms of reference. 

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

 

Terms and conditions will be set according to the program implementation needs. Candidates should prove their ability to work and travel to and in Liberia.

 

Applications will be screened on regular basis; a qualified applicant might be recruited before the deadline. In the interest of making the most effective use of resources, only short-listed candidates will be contacted during the selection process.

 

IDLO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in all areas of its operations. We welcome applications of qualified and diverse candidates.

 

IDLO is committed to achieving a 50/50 gender balance at all levels within its workforce. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for IDLO vacancies.

 

IDLO does not tolerate sexual exploitation or abuse, any kind of harassment, including harassment of a sexual nature; or discrimination. As such, IDLO will conduct careful reference and background checks of all selected candidates as part of its selection process.

 

DISCLAIMER AND CLOSING DATE

 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Contractor assigned to this work. This may not be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. 

 

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality and in compliance with IDLO’s policy on personal data protection.

 

The Director-General of IDLO reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities or even to cancel the recruitment to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

 

The application deadline is November 3rd, 2021.