Consultant- To Develop a Protection Policy in the Form of Guideline for Media Houses
For ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh and South Asia

Name of Organization: Article19 Bangladesh and South Asia
Responsible to: Regional Director, ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh and South Asia
Key relationships: Programme team, ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh and South Asia and HR and Admin. Officer, ARTICLE 19
Application Deadline: 20th April 2024
Payment and Benefits: BDT 11,85,000 for the Contract Period
Focal Contact Person : HR & Admin Officer, ARTICLE 19
Location : ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh Office
​Duration: 30 April 2024 to 15 July 2024, duration may be changed during the contract period

​About Us
​
Established in 1987, ARTICLE 19 works for a world where all people everywhere can freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear or discrimination. Our mission is to promote and defend the universal human rights of freedom of expression and information around the world, through international advocacy and legal analysis, and regional and national projects.
ARTICLE 19 is a global organization, with a strong presence in the Global South, recruiting local staff and establishing strong and operationally autonomous national and regional offices. These offices have helped the organization strengthen relationships with civil society, better understand regional and national challenges, and respond more swiftly to opportunities and crises.
The Bangladesh and South Asia Regional Office of ARTICLE 19 is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Its International Office is located in London.

Project Scope:
“Journalists with enhanced safety and security-JESS” is a 2-year project funded by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) to ensure the protection & safety of journalists, especially women journalists from both external and internal threats, harassment, abuse, and other forms of violence in Bangladesh. This project mainly addresses the safety of journalists to prevent discrimination, online-offline harassment, bullying, sexual harassment in media houses, and external threats. The JESS project also focuses on strengthening protection protocols and safety mechanisms in media houses ensuring safety of journalists. Firstly, Bolster the resilience of journalists, especially women and marginalized journalists. Secondly, make media houses safer workplaces and increase their protection mechanism for journalists to mitigate external threats. Thirdly, advocate with the Government of Bangladesh to comply with its responsibility of upholding the safety of journalists and media freedom.

Project Outcome:
Outcome 1: Journalists, and in particular women and journalists from marginalized communities, have improved skills in digital and physical security and access to support to protect themselves in their everyday work.
Outcome 2: Media houses adopt internal non-discrimination policies and, safeguarding protocols and other mechanisms to protect their employees from workplace harassment and external threats.
Outcome 3: Civil society is more coordinated in its efforts to put pressure on the GoB to uphold safety of journalists and media freedom through engagement in national and international advocacy.

Scope of Work:
The overall objective of this consultancy is to develop a protection policy in the form of a guideline with safety mechanisms for 5 media houses in line with International Human Rights standards. The policy (guideline) will include a legal protection provision in the case of legal actions brought against journalists, physical injuries incurred while on the job, anti-sexual harassment policy, code of conduct (women and marginalized communities including transgender), code of conduct for fair office environment, insurance of journalists.

The protection policy (guideline) will aim to address the external and internal threats to journalists and assist media houses to make their workplace safer. This protection policy (guideline) is to include key recommendations for risk factors to be mitigated, and ensure sustainable progress in the protection of journalists, particularly women. 

The consultant is to provide guidance on how the protection policy (guideline) will ensure safety in media houses and how this should be executed actively in a non-hierarchy, non-bias and non-patriarchy approach.

The commissioned consultant will consider the following issues among others while preparing the protection policy (guideline) –

  • The consultant will follow national standard practices and international standards while developing the protection policy (guideline) to ensure the protection of journalists with intersectional and gender lens:
  • Protection concerns and required actions, risk assessment and management, safety measurements, female journalists’ protection, digital safety, safeguarding training etc.
  • Protection support (physical safety measures, digital security measures, financial, legal, psychological support, emergency support), national protection mechanisms, safeguarding reporting mechanism, legal and policy impact and development, advocacy.
  • Facilitate 5 workshops on development of protection policy (guideline) in media houses.
  • Provide technical support and advice to assist the selected media houses in developing their own protection policy.

Any other note or condition

Any documents, analysis, report, data frame, tools, formats, checklists, or any information entrusted to or produced in connection with this consultancy shall be handed over to ARTICLE 19. All tasks and assignments shall be strictly the property of ARTICLE 19 and cannot be disclosed or used for any other purpose. This provision shall remain valid even after the completion of the assignment.
Other terms and conditions will be governed by the Policies of ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh and South Asia Regional Office as stated time to time.

Timeframe of Deliverables:

  • A work plan including proposed methodology for the delivery of the consultancy, at the beginning of the consultancy. The report will be in English.
  • Draft protection policy in the form of guideline.
  • A presentation on the draft protection policy (guideline) before ARTI LE 19.
  • Final protection policy (guideline) after comprehending ARTICLE 19 feedback and comments on the draft policy.
  • Facilitate 5 workshops on development of protection policy in media houses.
  • Provide technical support and advice to assist the selected media houses in developing their own protection policy (guideline).

Consultancy Fee and Payment Schedule:

A consultancy fee of not exceeding BDT 11,85,000/- (In word: Taka Eleven Lacs Eighty-five Thousand, including all VAT and Tax) for this assignment during contract period will be payable to the selected Consultant. The deliverables must be collated with the invoices before collecting the final payments.

Payment will be made through A/C Payee cheque/ EFT within 15 (fifteen) working days upon satisfactorily services received/completion of work and submission of invoice collated with relevant documents.

Payment Mode:

  • First payment – 40%, after signing the consultancy contract.
  • Final payment – balance 60%, after submission of final report.

Required Qualifications and Expertise:

  • This consultancy is offered to the Bangladeshi Nationals only and the consultancy firms interested to send proposals must be registered under the regulations of Govt. of Bangladesh.
  • Having a comprehensive idea about the journalists’ safety and protection (online and offline), media, civic space, freedom of expression and information and challenges of freedom of expression and information.
  • Extensive knowledge and proven work experience working on policy development and safety mechanisms for journalists and media houses.
  • Having comprehensive knowledge of issues related to journalist’s safety in the context of Bangladesh.
  • Must be a team player with the ability to coordinate and prioritize the needs of the team.
  • Prior experiences of preparing reports in international standard
  • Excellent Bangla and English writing skills

ARTICLE 19 Will Provide:

ARTICLE 19 will provide the following support to the Consultant during the assignment period:

  • Provide relevant information and documents to complete the assignment to the consultant (as needed).
  • It will be expected from the consultant to share the plan of action, developments, reports and reviews as the progression of work and receive feedback, guidance as appropriate.
  • Outputs and drafts will be reviewed with verbal and written comments and guidance that will be expected to be addressed and incorporated into various drafts of outputs including the final deliverables.

How to Apply:

Persons/firms wishing to be considered for this consultancy are invited to submit:

  • technical and financial proposal along with a cover letter.
  • resume/portfolio stating relevant experiences, and expertise.
  • a summary of the previous work (samples of previously done similar works)
  • a one pager of your understanding of the assignment.
  • consultancy firms must submit the relevant legal entitlements, such as copy of trade license, copy of BIN certificate or VAT registration and TIN Certificate.

Application Deadline: 20th April 2024

To apply, please click here