Job Announcement:  Consultant for paralegal training 

Terms of Reference for Facts-Finding Training

1.  Executive Summary

Request from:HRDF Thailand
Type of Consultancy:Technical Support                              
Type of Program:Migrant Rights Advocacy         
Agreement SymbolNDICI HR INTPA/2023/451-606
Funding SourceThe European Union
Project title:Strengthening CSO Capacity and Networks for Migrant Rights Protection Project
Project duration:24 months
Overall Project Objective:To promote and protect labour rights and promote safe working environment for vulnerable migrant workers in and around Mae Sot District, Tak, Thailand, for decent work and economic growth.
Specific Project Objectives:Specific objective: (1) To increase private sector compliance of labour/human rights standards in and around Mae Sot District, Tak, Thailand; (2) To strengthen local CSOs’ effectiveness for the advancement of migrant workers’ labour/human rights.
Objective of the Consultancy:The main objective of this consultancy is to: Provide knowledge and skills to Migrant Rights Promotion Working Group (MRPWG) on data collection, management, evidence-based reporting to provide credible ground for advocacy.
MethodologyFace to face training
Target Group for TrainingAt least 30 paralegal alumni
Period of consultancy:Preparation work starts in early January, a one and half day workshop is planned to take place in February 2025.

Background to the Project

In January 2024, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and Human Right Development Foundation (HRDF) started a 24-month Project entitled Strengthening CSO Capacity and Networks for Migrant Rights Protection Project funded by the European Union that aimed at promoting and protecting labour rights and promoting safe working environment for vulnerable migrant workers in and around Mae Sot District, Tak, Thailand, for decent work and economic growth. The project targets4,000 migrant workers in and around Mae Sot, Thailand.

Thailand has been attracting low-skilled migrants from neighbouring countries for decades. It hosts approximately 3.9 million documented and undocumented migrant workers from Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Viet Nam (IOM, Protecting Migrant worker in Indo-Pacific supply chain, 2022). Based on this estimate, migrant workers constitute over 10 percent of Thailand’s labour force of 38.7 million. Nationals from Myanmar make up the largest migrant worker population in Thailand, with recent estimates putting the figure at 2.3 million individuals (International Migration Report, 2019). Tak province, in specific, is a common destination for Myanmar migrants because of the road linkages to Myanmar, ease of access through porous border crossings and the high concentration of factories and the growing agriculture sector providing employment opportunities. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, risks posed to migrant workers in Thailand included vulnerability to excessive recruitment fee and migration-related costs, restrictions on freedom of movement, poor working conditions, irregular working days and working hours, and lack of access to legal and social protection, informal barriers, etc. The pandemic has further exacerbated these vulnerabilities (IOM, 2021)[1].

The major problems facing Burmese migrant workers include: (i) Weak law enforcement for labour rights protection. Though the Labour Protection Act and related measures are in place to protect the migrants’ labour rights, law enforcement remains at a low level. Furthermore, migrant workers themselves are not aware of their labour/human rights under the Labour Protection Act. (ii) CSOs lack of capacity to engage in the dialogue process at the national level due to weak coordination, limited resources, low digital literacy, language barriers, living outside of the capitals and in remote areas, etc. (iii) Occupational safety and health is another issue affecting migrants, where injuries could be prevented through more effective implementation of the workplace safety standards set by the safety laws.

  • It is envisaged that these identified problems will be tackled through the Strengthening CSO Capacity and Networks for Migrant Rights Protection project. The stated objective will be achieved by the outputs described below:
  • Output.1.1: Increased awareness of duty bearers and target employers about migrant labour/human rights;
  • Output.1.2: Strengthened capacities on labour laws and measures addressing access to legal protection of migrant workers from Mae Sot area against unfair labour practices.
  • Output.2.1: Enhanced CSOs knowledge and skills for effective advocacy in migrant rights.
  • Output.2.2: Enhanced opportunities for dialogue and collaboration among duty bearers, CSOs, and private sector for the improvement of the protection of labour rights for migrant workers.

Technical Support from the Consultant

This consultancy will contribute to Output 2.1: Enhanced CSOs knowledge and skills for effective advocacy in migrant rights.

Scope of Work of the Consultancy

The consultant(s) will cover the following tasks:

  • Meet with paralegal and HRDF staff to discuss the training needs.
  • Participate in the workshop on the development of the action plan for migrant rights advocacy which will be held in February 2024;
  • Prepare training materials on data collection, management, and evidence-based reporting that are relevant to the paralegal action plan;
  • Conduct a one and half-day workshop with at least 20-30 participants.
  • Develop pre-post tests for the workshop;
  • Write a training report in Thai about the improvement of participants’ knowledge based on the pre and post-test as well as future recommendations concerning fact-finding training.
  • Provide follow-up coaching on fact-finding and data collection.

Timeframe and duration of the consultancy

The training materials should be developed by the consultant before the training. The workshop is scheduled to take place in February 2024. The workshop will be delivered by the consultant during the one and half-day training for paralegals to strengthen the skills of the migrant workers community. The training report will be submitted to ADRA within two weeks after the workshop.  The total payable days for the consultancy is no more than 5 days.

Qualifications of the Consultant

  • Strong knowledge on Thai labour and migration issue as well as human rights;
  • Awareness of social, political, and economic factors affecting migrant communities;
  • Previous experience working with migrants is preferred;
  • Familarity with the geography and context of the Thai-Myanmar border, particularly the Mae Sot area;
  • Experience in data collection and research;
  • Proven ability to systematically and ethically document findings;
  • Knowledge of outreach to communities approach related to labour protections;
  • Ability to work with and deliver training to paralegal;
  • Ability to design training curricula that include interactive and practical activities to engage diverse participants;
  • Previous experience in delivering training workshops;
  • Fluency in Burmese, Thai, or English;
  • Proven ability to produce clear and concise reports in Thai at a high standard.

Submission of Application

  • Applications should be submitted no later than 24 January  2025.
  • Applications in the English or Thai language, including i) a resume of not more than 3 pages; ii) a cover letter; iii) a brief proposal to describe how this consultancy will be carried out; iv) contact details of 2 references should be submitted by email to [email protected] and cc [email protected]  
  • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

[1]Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 on Migration Workers in Cambodia, Lao People Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Thailand, IOM, 2021.