About the APT
The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT, www.apt.ch) works for societies without torture and ill-treatment. Established in 1977, we helped establish a global system to prevent torture by increasing transparency in all places where people are deprived of their liberty.
We advocate for torture prevention at the international, regional and national levels with an approach based on cooperation, dialogue and partnerships. Working with actors of change to achieve solutions that have their full ownership, we strengthen efforts to reduce the risks of torture and ill-treatment across the world.
APT’s vision: Societies without torture or ill-treatment.
APT’s mission:
Influencing national, regional and international legal frameworks, standards, policies and practices to reduce risks of torture
Supporting partners’ efforts to advance torture prevention, and contributing our respective expertise and resources to maximise impact
Bringing people together in constructive dialogue to build support for torture prevention and identify practical solutions
About the project
Project title
Women and Criminal Justice Systems: a gender-sensitive approach
Project objectives
Ultimate outcome: Increased protection of women against torture and ill-treatment in criminal justice systems in priority countries
See in annex below the project Logic Model, which clarifies the results’ chain from outputs to impact (based on the template provided by the project’s main donor).[1]
Geographical scope
Priority countries: Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Morocco, Rwanda,[2] South Africa, Togo, Maldives.
Depending on the national context, the project has been implemented with differentiated, tailored degrees of intensity in each of the priority countries.
Global and regional level: in support to country-specific work, the project reaches out to relevant international and regional human rights bodies, to generate a global movement that is likely to encourage and generate changes towards improved protection of women in the criminal justice systems. In addition, the project also has a regional and global reach beyond the priority countries, involving international and regional relevant human rights bodies and the global community of independent oversight institutions.
Summary of the project description
This project addresses the unique and disproportionate abuse and discrimination experienced by women in criminal justice systems, including torture and ill-treatment. Women, whether as detainees, relatives of detainees, monitors, or criminal justice actors, are particularly affected, yet independent, gender-based data on their experiences remains limited. Women facing additional discrimination based on other grounds such as gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or ethnicity are even more marginalized. The project aims to bridge this data gap and increase protections for women deprived of liberty, particularly those in the eight priority countries: Brazil, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Togo, Rwanda, Maldives, and Morocco.
The project addresses different levels of changes complementary to each other:
Changes in law and policies on the basis of accurate and reliable data gathered by independent oversight institutions on the situation of women deprived of liberty in the criminal justice system (intermediate outcome 1),
Changes in practices of criminal justice actors - including the judiciary - to increase the protection of women deprived of liberty in the criminal justice system and the implementation of alternatives to detention for women (intermediate outcome 2).
The main drivers of change are:
Oversight institutions, who are crucial actors for gathering accurate data and addressing systemic discrimination.
Judges and judicial actors, who can help ensure alternatives to imprisonment and adherence to human rights standards.
Civil society organizations (CSOs), who play a vital role in advocacy, monitoring, and providing support to detainees.
Interventions include applied research, capacity building for oversight institutions, coordinated outreach with CSOs, advocacy with legal and policy actors, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. These measures aim to create sustainable systemic changes that safeguard women’s rights in criminal justice systems.
Purpose and objectives of the evaluation
The external, independent evaluation of the project will determine whether and to what extent the APT has contributed to the project outcomes (immediate, intermediate and ultimate), focusing on identifying the results and changes and collecting evidence and analyzing how and to what extent the project has contributed to those results andchanges (“outcome harvesting” approach). The main success factors, challenges and lessons will be identified, as well as opportunities for follow-up and strengthening in the future,[3] and possible disengagement where relevant.
The evaluation will focus on the project outcomes (not the outputs nor the activites) and aim to:
Assess the outcomes actually achieved versus what was expected, especially the changes that the project has contributed to achieve from the partners and beneficiaries point of view;
Identify the levers of success and enabling factors;
Learn lessons and room for improvement for future work (including ability to mitigate risks and manage challenges).
The evaluator’s recommendations in the evaluation report should be as contextualized and practical as possible to facilitate their application in the future.
Evaluation criteria and methodological approach
The evaluation will assess the project against the OECD DAC evaluation criteria[4] of:
Relevance, Coherence, Efficiency (minimal assessment – not a priority)
Effectiveness, Impact, Sustainability (full assessment – priority)
and will propose an outcome harvesting approach/method that demonstrates how and to what extent the project has contributed to the outcomes.
The evaluation will combine remote desk review of existing relevant documents (incl. responses to surveys), group discussions and bilateral interviews of stakeholders, including APT staff directly involved in the project. Documents to review will be in English mostly, but also some in French, Spanish and Portuguese.
The evaluator(s) will ensure confidentiality of the interviews and group discussions.
The evaluation method will be further developed in the evaluator’s inception report.
Scope of the evaluation
Period under evaluation
Entire project period, from 11 March 2022 to 31 January 2025.
Content
The evaluation will cover all the project objectives and the evaluation objectives and criteria as stated above, with priority given to the evaluation criteria on effectiveness, impact and sustainability and on success factors.
In a cross-cutting manner and to the extent possible, the evaluation will also assess the engagement and cooperation with other actors, such as associations representing families of detainees, the judiciary, etc. (especially in Latin America).
Geographical scope
The geographical scope of the evaluation will not exactly mirror the geographical scope of the project (described under section 2.3 above), but will be tailored to the implementation approach, reflecting the differentiated engagement with each priority country, as well as the regional and global scope.
Budget and support from the APT
In addition to the budget of CHF (Swiss francs) 11’300 for the evaluation’s delivery (including evaluator’s fees), the APT commits to provide the evaluator with all relevant documents and time necessary for the evaluation. This includes, inter alia:
core project-related documents (e. project description, budget, contract, logical framework);
any documents that have been developed as deliverables under the project, or that can help understand the project and its institutional framework;
the list of persons and their contact details who have been involved in the project and could be selected for being interviewed. The APT will make sure they all understand and give consent on their participation to the evaluation process.
The APT has identified the following staff to support the evaluator:
Senior Advisor Vulnerabilities and Policy and Fundraising Manager: mainly to share and ensure access to all necessary resources; ensure interviewees’ information and consent; follow up on the deliverables and different steps of the evaluation process;
Other APT staff team as relevant.
The APT will draft the contract, of which these Terms of Reference (ToR) form integral part.
Expected deliverables and timeframe
The following outputs are expected to be delivered by the evaluator as part of the evaluation process:
Deliverables | Deadline |
|
16 February 2025 |
|
30 March 2025 |
| 27 April 2025 |
Qualifications of the evaluators
The consultant(s) should have the following qualifications and competences:
Proven record in conducting evaluations in the field of human rights;
Knowledge of, and experience in applying standard evaluation principles, qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods;
Ability to write concise evaluation reports of high quality in English;
Understanding of gender-responsive evaluation approach and knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights;
Independence and absence of conflict of interests by not having been in any way involved in any stage of APT programme design, implementation or monitoring;
Knowledge of any of the languages of the priority countries (e.g. Spanish, French, Arabic, Portuguese) is considered an asset.
Submission of bids and process
Applicants shall submit the following documents by Wednesday 22 January 2025, to jobs@apt.ch with “Evaluation Gender” as email title:
Cover letter (max. 1 page) demonstrating how the consultant(s) previous evaluation experiences of comparable projects but also their knowledge and expertise fit well with this assignment;
CV, including references to licences, certifications, accreditations, etc.
2 final reports of comparable evaluations carried out within the last 3 years;
2 references (names, positions, contact details) expected to support claims of knowledge, skills and experience;
Proposed budget (outline is sufficient at the application stage).
Only complete files will be taken into consideration.
For any specific questions about the evaluation, please contact Cécile Trochu Grasso, Fundraising Manager: ctrochu-grasso@apt.ch, by January 15, 2025 at the latest (questions submitted after that day will not be answered).
The selection of the consultant(s) will be decided by Monday 27 February 2025, with the contract expected to be signed by 31 January, aiming to commence the consultancy no later than 1 February 2025.
Geneva, December 19, 2024
ANNEX - PROJECT LOGIC MODEL
ULTIMATE OUTCOME | 1000 - Increased protection of women against torture and ill-treatment in criminal justice systems in priority countries | ||
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INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES | 1100 - Strengthened ability of independent oversight institutions (also known as National Preventive Mechanisms, hereafter NPMs) to influence policies and laws based on accurate and reliable data on women in contact with criminal justice systems in priority countries → Main focus for Mexico (local level Yucatan and Vera Cruz), Panama, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Morocco, Maldives. Secondary focus for Brazil | 1200 - Increased ability of criminal justice actors to prevent risky practices leading to torture and ill-treatment of women in criminal justice systems, including through the implementation of alternative measures to detention in priority countries → Main focus for Brazil (State level), Mexico (local level), Panama, Morocco, Maldives. Secondary focus for Rwanda, South Africa, Togo | |
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IMMEDIATE OUTCOMES | 1110 - Increased ability of NPMs to gather and analyse data on women and the criminal justice system, including through effective gender-sensitive monitoring → Mexico, Panama, Rwanda, Togo, South Africa, Maldives, Morocco 1120 - Increased awareness of national policy and decision makers on the root causes of women incarceration and mistreatment in the criminal justice systems, including gender and other intersectional discrimination → Maldives, Rwanda, Togo, South Africa 1130 - Enhanced commitment from international and regional bodies to increased protection of women in criminal justice systems → Global (UN SPT, CAT, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) 1140 - Increased skills and ability of NPMs to advocate for legal and policy-related protections for women in the criminal justice system at national and international levels → all priority countries | 1210 - Increased awareness and knowledge of NPMs and criminal justice actors about standards, alternatives to detention, and discriminatory and risky practices leading to abuses of women in the criminal justice systems, of which some may amount to ill-treatment and torture → all priority countries 1220 - Increased ability of NPMs and criminal justice actors to engage into dialogue, on the basis of increased knowledge, evidence-based data and concrete recommendations → all priority countries 1230 - Increased collaborative engagement regarding risky practices and how to prevent them between civil society organisations, families of detainees and NPMs → Rwanda, Togo, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Maldives | |
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OUTPUTS | 1111 a) Face-to-face and/or online capacity building programmes on gender-sensitive monitoring conducted with NPMs → Rwanda, Togo, South Africa, Maldives, Morocco, Panama b) Technical advice to NPMs on how to gather and analyse data with a gender-sensitive approach → Mexico, Panama, Rwanda, Togo, South Africa, Brazil c) Good practices related to gender-sensitive monitoring identified and shared amongst NPMs from all regions of the world → all priority countries d) Skilled individuals from NPMs identified as possible “mentors” or “experts” to share their knowledge and skills with their peers → all priority countries 1121 a) Analysis of relevant national legal and policy framework conducted by NPMs from a gender-sensitive perspective → Togo, South Africa, Rwanda, Panama, Maldives, Morocco, Brazil b) Awareness-raising activities led by NPMs, based on the findings of their monitoring work → Togo, South Africa, Rwanda, Panama, Maldives, Morocco (+Brazil for LGBTIQ+ women) c) Thematic reports drafted and published by NPMs, and shared with legal and policy makers → all priority countries, Brazil (for LGBTIQ+ women) 1131 a) Awareness-raising and advocacy activities conducted with NPMs to influence the positions of relevant international and regional bodies on the treatment of women in criminal justice systems → all priority countries 1141 a) Capacity building webinars, workshops, etc. on advocacy for change to support NPMs’ work in influencing decision and policy makers at national level, including also support to NPMs to engage with judicial and legal actors on alternatives to detention for women → all priority countries b) Findings of NPMs on the root causes of women incarceration and mistreatment in criminal justice system compiled into a global study serving as a basis for international and national advocacy → all priority countries | 1211 a) Research on discriminatory and risky practices leading to abuses of women in the criminal justice system, as well as on good practices related to the implementation of alternative measures to detention for women to inform judicial actors’ practices → all priority countries (alternatives: focus on Brazil, Mexico, Panama) b) Public awareness-raising campaign on the main risks faced by women in criminal justice systems to mobilise NPMs, and the need to implement further alternatives to detention → risks: Rwanda, Togo, South Africa, Maldives, Panama / alternatives: all priority countries c) Technical advice, and development of tools and educational material on standards and alternatives to detention for criminal justice actors to change discriminatory and risky practices → all priority countries, with focus on Mexico, Panama, Brazil re: alternatives 1221 a) Capacity-building of NPMs on how to engage into dialogue with criminal justice actors → Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Maldives, Togo and Rwanda b) Regular dialogues conducted by NPMs with criminal justice actors to discuss NPMs’ recommendations and findings on preventing risky practices, including through the implementation of alternatives to detention → Brazil, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Maldives, Togo and Rwanda c) Capacity-building activities for legal and judicial actors on standards and root causes related to the treatment of women in the criminal justice system, as well as on implementation of alternatives to detention → Mexico, Panama, Brazil 1231 a) Regular meetings between CSOs, families of detainees and/or NPMs to exchange information on situation of women in the criminal justice systems → Panama, South Africa, Togo, Rwanda, Maldives, Brazil b) Representatives from CSOs and/or families of detainees are knowledgeable with oversight institutions’ mandates and activities → Panama, Brazil, Mexico, Maldives | |
[1] The project main donor is Global Affairs Canada.
[2] From 2023, the Rwandan Human Rights Commission (RHRC) and the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) became less engaged in the project due to shifting priorities and subsequent activity planning for 2023 and 2024, which did not incorporate this project’s activities, particularly capacity-building initiatives. APT anticipated that this could impact the project’s outcomes in relation to Rwanda.
[3] In particular, the conclusions of the evaluation report are expected to help APT improve current and possibly future grant applications to donors that aim to seek funding to follow up and deepen this project over the next 3-4 years.
[4] More information on OECD DAC evaluation criteria: https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.htm
[5] Some preliminary findings could be requested by the APT around mid-March, to support a major application to donor(s) for a project that will be built on this one. The timeframe remains tentative until APT gets further notice from the donor(s).