URGENT RECRUITMENT IN WIDOWS AND ORPHANS EMPOWERMENT ORGANIZATION (WEWE) – GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) LEGAL OFFICER

URGENT RECRUITMENT

WIDOWS AND ORPHANS EMPOWERMENT ORGANIZATION (WEWE)

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Legal Officer

Are you a talented/award-winning Legal Officer? With

• A Second Class Upper (2.1) and above or Upper credit in a law degree?
• Are you currently working in a local or international law firm?
• Are you a lawyer who has received awards for best staff or student?
• Do you have an interest in transferring from working in a private sector law firm to the NGO Sector, where you will gain experience working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/US Center for Disease Control-funded projects?

WEWE has a ‘Gender Based Violence (GBV) Legal Officer Program’ where we offer job training for talented/award-winning lawyers, who have no experience working as a lawyer for an NGO and would like to gain experience working and learning about Gender-Based Violence  issues and other legal issues for NGOs. Also, to understand practical applications of laws for international donor-funded projects: e.g., USAID, US CDC, and EU.

The benefits of the trainee position are:

1. N100, 000/monthly and 20% pension from WEWE.
2. After successful performance evaluation, trainees are eligible to apply for full-time positions in WEWE subject to vacancies and availability of funds.
3. Opportunity for in-house on-the-job certificated training on statutory compliance for NGOs, and Legal matters for NGOs.
4. A certificate of completion.

Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organization (WEWE) is a legally registered incorporated Trustee, a local not-for-profit, faith-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that is seeking applications from qualified candidates to fill the position of Gender-Based Violence Legal Officer.

WEWE’s core ideology is to be one of the most financially compliant and clean NGOs in Nigeria and Africa and we want to improve the lives of millions of widows and orphans in Nigeria and Africa.

Position:         Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Legal Officer

Location:        The successful candidate will be based in Port Harcourt- Rivers State

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• S/he will adhere to Gender-Based Violence (GBV)  guiding principles to ensure the safety of the survivor and their children; respect the confidentiality of the information provided by Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors
• Conduct interviews in private settings and maintain a non-judgmental manner and respect the survivor’s decision.
• S/he will provide legal counseling for GBV survivors regarding potential avenues of legal response; respect the right to be informed on the details of the legal procedures, including available options, time frame, and the consequences.
• S/he will provide and facilitate legal access to all GBV survivors who opt for legal action including accompanying and escorting GBV survivors to the Police station and Court whenever requested by ensuring GBV survivors and witnesses summoned to court attend court sessions;  
• S/he will respect the right to legal aid, including the right to refuse legal aid at any time prior or -depending on the type of the crime committed- during the legal process.
• S/he will coordinate with the Prosecutor, pre-court legal counseling, and preparation support to GBV survivors, witnesses, and medical experts before court sessions
• S/he will continually update the GBV officer about the survivors’ case and link the survivor with the caseworker for ongoing psychosocial support or referral to additional services.
• S/he will monitor the GBV survivor’s overall security risk as a result of pursuing legal action and also ensure the survivor is protected against any risks of further offense that the alleged offender may cause and also ensures that security concerns of the survivors are met.
• S/he in collaboration with the GBV Team to monitor the situation of the survivor even after the finalization of legal proceedings to prevent retaliation or secondary victimization at the hands of the perpetrator, as well as to address stigmatization by the community.
• S/he will be conducting legal information dissemination for both the facilities and at the community level to increase awareness in preventing and responding to GBV incidents.
• S/he will assist in the preparation and submission of timely weekly, and monthly quality reports and donor reports as per the donor requirements.
• S/he will support and work closely with the GBV Team on program data collection.
• S/he will assist in following up on cases with law enforcement bodies to ensure that the rights of the survivor are promoted and protected throughout the legal process.
• S/he will participate in coordination meetings with Legal actors so as to smoothen the process of access to legal justice for GBV survivors.
• Perform other task that may be assigned by the sup

Qualifications:

• Graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (L.LB and B.L)
• Must possess a second-class upper (2.1) /Upper credit or above
• Additional professional certifications or postgraduate qualification is an added advantage

Experience:

• Minimum of 1-2 years working experience in a private law firm or in the field of law.
• Very strong report-writing skills.
• Strong computer skills.
• Ability to work long hours when needed.
• Strong analytical and research skills.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills.
• Technology suave i.e. ability to use social media handles, the internet send email, etc.

Method of Application

Interested and qualified applicants should send their comprehensive curriculum and cover letter in ONLY one attachment (MS Word document) explaining their suitability for the job to: gbvlegal2023@weweng.org  on or before, October 24, 2023.  

Please indicate the title of the position applied for in the subject line of the email. Applicants should provide their functional emails/mobile phone numbers on their CVs as well as three professional referees.

Candidates must provide functional email addresses and telephone numbers of referees.

Kindly Note: Applications will be reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis. WEWE reserves the right to conclude this recruitment process when a suitable candidate is selected. While WEWE thanks all applicants for their interest, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organization (WEWE) upholds non-poaching ethics. We do not accept applications from organizations that we are in collaboration with – without the express consent from the head of the organization, particularly from any organization we are currently working with to strengthen their capacity. Therefore, an applicant applying for this position from an organization that is in a form of partnership or collaboration with WEWE, should disclose and give us a letter from the head of the organization which states that they are highly recommending their staff and why they will permit the staff to leave the organization to work with WEWE.

“WEWE is an equal opportunity employer, which promotes diversity and does not discriminate based on tribe, state of origin within Nigeria, religion, age, sex, race or on different physical ability”.

“WEWE’s organizational culture promotes the principles of safeguarding and high moral values. WEWE’s Safeguarding Policy 2022 promotes an environment where no staff, associates, volunteers, case workers, consultants, board members, and partners engage in a sexual relationship, harass, or exploit anyone under the age of 18 or vulnerable adult, especially our beneficiaries”.

“WEWE’s organizational culture also has zero tolerance for corrupt practices. Therefore, for any of our job vacancies, we advise that applicants do not offer or accept any request for money, favors, or gifts from anyone to facilitate an employment opportunity with WEWE. Applicants found engaging in such practices could jeopardize their chances of being selected. If anyone contacts, you with such an offer please report this immediately to WEWE management on this WhatsApp line 09037811024”.