Consultant to Assess Women and Girls with Disabilities’ Perceptions of Public Transportation

Result of Service a) An Inception Report outlining the data gathering methodology, including a proposed list of interviewees and the draft questions for Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews b) At least 3 FGDs with 10-15 women with disabilities throughout the Arab region (to be conducted remotely), respectively (ensuring appropriate representation of women’s intersectional identities and geographical locations, i.e., urban vs. rural), to shed light on experiences and perceptions of public transit access, safety and mobility. c) 5-10 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with relevant stakeholders (to be conducted remotely) ensuring appropriate representation that will provide expert opinions of public transit access, safety and mobility for women with disabilities. d) A synthesis report analyzing the main themes and issues raised during the FGDs and KIIs. e) A series of concrete policy recommendations based on the data collected and the analysis provided; and f) Lead a validation session with relevant stakeholders (TBD if online, hybrid or in-person).

Work Location Remotely

Expected duration 5 months

Duties and Responsibilities Background:

The transportation needs of women and girls with disabilities are often considered ‘invisible’ despite their experiences of discrimination and violence*. And, while violence and harassment against women and girls with disabilities is drawing attention, little has been done to address these crimes and ensure safer access to transportation and, thus, to the public sphere. Violence and harassment against women and girls with disabilities in the public sphere is a human rights violation that impacts their access to education, employment, health services, and social and political participation. Insecurity, whether real or perceived, leads women and girls with disabilities to alter their lives and movements to reduce danger (i.e., by taking longer routes, leaving work early or dropping out of school). Engaging in the public sphere is just as essential for women and girls with disabilities, however, considerations must be made to ensure accessibility, safety and suitable mobility, particularly with regards to public transportation. The locations involved in transport systems (i.e., streets, bus stops, railways and trams, taxis, car parks) are environments that, if planned to be safe and accessible, can encourage engagement in the public sphere. Therefore, practical policies must be adopted and enforced to ensure that women and girls with disabilities have access to and mobility within the public sphere so that they are able to engage in civic life to their fullest extent, particularly with regard to employment and education, and in-line with article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Women and girls with disabilities in the Arab region oftentimes struggle to engage in the labor market or obtain an education due to a lack of accessible, safe and suitably mobile transportation options. Sexual harassment on public transportation impacts many women and girls’ access to public engagement and civic life, but women and girls with disabilities also must contend with limited or lacking transportation structures and policies that do not take into account (or take seriously) their intersectional needs. Therefore, working with ESCWA, a consultant will gather primary data on women and girls with disabilities perceptions of their safety in transportation spaces and will examine ways to increase their access to and mobility within public spaces. This data will contribute to a flagship publication that will focus on better understanding how women and girls with disabilities perceive their safety in transportation spaces in the Arab region and identifying opportunities to increase their access, safety and mobility as they seek to engage in the public sphere.

This will be done through the collection of primary data, namely Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews, which will contribute to proposed positive policy frameworks and practical interventions utilizing a gender and disability lens to create a more enabling environment for the engagement of women and girls with disabilities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1) Gather primary data and conduct analysis on the perceptions of public transit access, safety and mobility among women and girls with disabilities in the Arab region drawing from online Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews KIIs) (utilizing the network of regional Organizations for Persons with Disabilities and disability experts/activists that ESCWA has cultivated, as well as research done by the Consultant). 2) Gather and analyze relevant quantitative secondary data on (demographic data, violence against women data, and transportation data (if available)) from a desk review, engagement with regional Organizations for Persons with Disabilities, and national statistics bureau; and 3) Present the research findings during a validation session with relevant stakeholders.

*Iudici, Bertoli and Faccio, 2017.

Qualifications/special skills A Master's degree or equivalent in Urban Studies, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Human Rights or Women’s/Gender Studies or any other related area is required.

All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 5 years of professional work experience in gender and disability is required; previous work on sexual harassment or gender-based violence is required. Experience in conducting qualitative research (conducting interviews and facilitating focus group discussions), including familiarity with different research methodologies, and an ability to analyze qualitative data and synthesize it into a coherent report is required. An ability to deliver quality products in a timely manner and meet deadlines is required.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA.

For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.