Back Consultant - Researcher

1. Duty Station of the Consultancy: Cairo, Egypt**

2. Nature of the Consultancy: A routes-based assessment of trends in irregular migration current surge, post-COVID-19, and its accompanying trends of human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse – Irregular migration in the center Mediterranean route.**

3. Project Context and Scope

I. Context and Rationale

The Republic of Egypt is a major migration player in the Middle East and North Africa region, encountering large, diverse patterns of emigration and immigration, including significant numbers of humanitarian arrivals (asylums seekers, refugees, and migrants)[1]. As the Arab world’s most populous country, Egypt is also the largest regional provider of migrant labour to the Middle East countries. More than 7 million Egyptians lived in Arab countries as of 2017, essentially in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Another 2.8 million Egyptians reside in the European and American continents[2].

Egyptians who migrate in irregular situation are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse at various levels and points of the journey, in particular in Libya since 2011 (UNHCR, 2018[3]; Amnesty International, 2016[4]). DTM Libya in analysing migrants’ presence in the country reported that as of September 2021 among the approximately 610,000 migrants surveyed in its territory from 44 countries 18% per cent are Egyptians (IOM, 2021). Such migrants are also potential victims of being exploited by crime organizations involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling—crimes that constitute a serious violation of the human rights as well as suffer the negative consequences of conflicts and of COVID-19 economic slowdowns. For example, according to the European Commission, the percentage of victims of trafficking coming from Africa (Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia) is increasing amounting to approximately 60% of the total number[5]. During the first half of 2021, according to the Italian government, more than 1,500 Egyptians arrived in the European country, mainly males and including many unaccompanied and separated children. According to IOM knowledge, most of them departed from Libya[6]. Furthermore, IOM assisted thousands of Egyptians to return to Egypt during the last few years with different vulnerabilities, including victims of trafficking (VoTs), exploitation and abuse which includes women, men and children.

There has been a surge in the number of Egyptian migrants opting for irregular migration during the past year, with increasing numbers of arrivals in Europe and of those being intercepted and returned from Libya with the support of IOM.[7] Many of these individuals are likely to suffer from extreme vulnerabilities and are susceptible to become victims of trafficking in Europe (mostly in Italy and Greece). Given the high-level of risk in irregular migration, it is critical to further investigate what is driving this surge in cases (routes, profiles) during the last year. While most sources or documents on human trafficking argue that the largest number of victims of trafficking are women and children, systematic and reliable data on the scale of the phenomenon is limited (limited understanding of the characteristics of victims, differentiation between the special needs of victims whether they are adult or children, girls and boys, women and men, their life experiences, and their trafficking trajectories).

It is also noteworthy that out of the thousands of Egyptians arriving irregularly at Italy, only a few hundreds have arrived from Egypt, which sheds a light to explore the different routes- historical and new ones- that are being sought by these Egyptians during the past period, in addition to exploring other migrant nationalities who are sharing this route with the Egyptians to better understand the mixed-migratory flow from the so-called Central Mediterranean route.

II. Research objectives

The objective of this research is to provide an analysis of recent trends- after the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020-, of the migration flow of Egyptian irregular migrants and will explore the top nationalities that accompany Egyptian migrants on similar routes. This research will seek to identify trends in trafficking in persons, migrant vulnerabilities, protection risks, the driving factors behind the routes, and the needs of irregular Egyptian migrants across Mediterranean routes. Moreover, wherever possible IOM aims at understanding the main drivers of this migration flows and of changes of routes in case observed. IOM will conduct a comprehensive research and analysis of data that will be derived from IOM available data sources, such as Flow monitoring surveys including a specific module on prevalence of trafficking and exploitation as part of IOM DTM, IOM case management system (MIMOSA), and the databases of various IOM missions (of transit and destination, such as IOM Libya, IOM Tunisia, IOM Italy, and IOM Greece, as well as the Regional Office) and partner organizations and institutions (CAPMAS), in order to better understand the current TiP trends and specific protection needs of the VoTs in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa region.

The results of the research will include protection risks, push, and pull factors, vulnerabilities, experiences, expectations and aggravating contextual factors that are associated with higher or lower levels of vulnerability of migrants to a selected set of experiences of abuse, violence and exploitation that might amount to human trafficking.

Recent analyses have investigated push factors, what makes migrants more vulnerable to exploitation, and characteristics of victims of trafficking to enhance awareness raising in Egypt and the region; to better inform protection mechanisms from IOM and relevant governments and to highlight areas where collaboration or intervention on combating TiP is needed with partners within the region.

III. Research scope and methodology

a. Target Population and geographical scope

The subjects of this research include Egyptians who migrate in an irregular situation and will capture both outward and return of a wide range of participants, as well as an identified top one or two nationalities accompanying Egyptians along their routes.

Types of migrants who will be assessed for this study:

• Migrants (Egyptians and other identified nationality of migrants) in transit or destination countries who were identified and/or assisted by IOM or other organizations, including VoTs;
• Returning Egyptians who were returned to Egypt with the support of IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Program (AVRR).

The research will target migrants who have migrated to/returned from Northern African and Southern European countries.

b. Key Research Questions

The specific objectives of the research are to answer the following questions:

1. What factors (i.e., socio-economic, protection, etc.) drive Egyptians to migrate abroad?

2. Was the COVID-19 pandemic an additional push factor inciting Egyptian migrants to leave their country of origin?

3. What information and expectations did Egyptian migrants hold at the beginning of their journey regarding the journey itself and the outcome of their migration? Was the decision to migrate taken through individual choice, household’s choice, community choice, etc.?

4. How do Egyptian migrants perceive their migration and the environment in which it takes place? To what extent do they feel like they control this environment (freedom to choose to migrate, risks, barriers, enablers, etc.)?

5. Are certain migrant profiles (i.e., male, female, a certain age group, etc.) more or less likely to opt for irregular migration?

6. Are certain migrant profiles (i.e., male, female, a certain age group, etc.) more or less likely to experience trafficking or other exploitative practices? If yes, which type of exploitation are they most vulnerable to and why?

7. What are the factors that lead to an increase in the vulnerabilities of these migrants to abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking during the journey?

8. What type of protection and services are most needed by the targeted migrants’ populations taking irregular migratory routes?

c. Methodology

The study will apply a ‘mixed methodology’ approach, involving a desk/literature review, a quantitative survey, focus groups, and key informant interviews, focusing on the aforementioned targeted populations with the consideration of the nationalities in comparable circumstances.

4. Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing

Counter Trafficking Team, Migrant Protection and Assistance Unit, IOM Egypt.

5. Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

Timeframe and Deliverables:

The consultancy is expected to be completed within a period of Four Months from the date of the contract signing. The consultant is responsible for the following deliverables as follows in the tentative timeline below:

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Deliverables

Estimated Working Days

To be completed by

Instalments

1.

Scoping and finalizing of an inception report for the study (incorporating a data analysis framework with detailed methodology to collect primary and secondary data considering specificities of origin and destination migration countries, implementation plan and assessment tools), for approval by IOM.

5 working days

19 Feb 2022

2.

Literature and desk review of existing evidence from Egyptian migrants and other nationalities from the Region. Key sources to be included:

• Existing data on migration flows (including DTM), trafficking, missing migrants.

• Existing data on socio-economic conditions of Egyptians in different Egyptian governorates.

• Other relevant academic and non-academic studies from key data producing on migration

• Any other relevant resources

10 working days

5 Mar 2022

1st instalment

50%

3.

Conduct survey activities, interviews, and other data collection activities for the defined and targeted beneficiaries and agreed population size.

15 working days

26 Mar 2022

4.

Draft Research report based on data collected and analysis performed submitted for IOM inputs.

10 working days

9 Apr 2022

5.

Submission of consolidated and final research report integrating inputs and revision from IOM.

5 working days

23 Apr 2022

2nd & last instalment 50%

** Payments will be made upon satisfactory completion and/or submission of outputs/deliverables.*

6. Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

Satisfactory submission of the aforementioned deliverables as will be assessed by country office and regional office specialists.

7. Education, Experience and/or skills required

IOM is seeking applications from individual consultants. The successful consultant should have a minimum of the following qualifications and experience:

Education:

• Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international relations, political science, international economics, demography, statistics, development studies, social or behavioral science, migration studies, or other relevant social sciences.
• A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in academia, research institutes, think tanks, governmental, inter-governmental, or non-governmental organizations, with demonstrated ability to conduct legal assessment and research in trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, human rights law and/or migration laws is required.
• Working experience with senior officials within government, inter-governmental, and nongovernmental organizations.
• Full computer literacy, including advanced command of qualitative and quantitative research tools as well as with analysis and interpretation of quantitative and quantitative data.
• Proven ability to develop surveys and questionnaires, and finalize survey’s findings’ tables and statistical reports.
• Experience in managing data collection, entry, and maintenance.
• Experience with sampling methods and implementation of surveys using techniques such as key informant interviews and focus group discussions.
• Proven ability to present research findings to different stakeholders including from government, donor community, academia, practitioner etc. Proven capacity to coordinate all administrative and technical aspects of the consultancy.
• Working experience with mobile data collection tools such as KOBO or ODK is desirable.
• Working knowledge of GIS and spatial analysis tools including ArcGIS Desktop is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships.
• Experience in conducting primary and secondary research.
• Experience in drafting research reports policy documents, or policy analysis documents.
• Country level experience in at least some of the countries targeted by the project.

Technical Competencies: The incumbent is expected to demonstrate the following technical competencies:

• Demonstrated knowledge in the field of migration, including in-depth understanding of local, regional, and global human trafficking and smuggling of migrants’ issues and developments is required.
• Experience working with Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, UN agencies, Civil Organizations, Community policing structures, as well as with other key informants.
• Necessary professional skills to strive towards the common goal and find solutions to work with different stakeholders and different data sets.
• General understanding of migration issues in the North African and African Regions, and Mediterranean routes.
• Excellent writing and analytical skills in English is required.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills are required.
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities are required.
• Proven delivery of high-quality results, the ability to plan own work and use time efficiently, manage conflicting priorities and work is required.

Language:

• English and Arabic are the working languages of the United Nations. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of the Arabic language is an advantage.

8. Travel required

None.

9. Required Competencies

Values

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators**

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Note on confidentiality: Please note that all consultants must sign and respect IOM’s confidentiality agreement which strictly prohibits the sharing of IOM data and internal materials. All data related to this consultancy will remain internal and are not permitted to be shared outside of those persons designated by the Head of Migrant Protection and Assistance Unit (MPA), Counter Irregular Migration and Smuggling Project Officer, and Programme Assistant.*