Anti-Trafficking (Labor) Organization - Western Balkans

The American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Human Rights is the ABA’s focal entity for critical human rights concerns in the United States and around the world. The ABA Center for Human Rights (the Center) works to promote and protect human rights worldwide by mobilizing lawyers to help threatened advocates and vulnerable communities; rallying leading experts on vital issues; and holding abusive governments accountable under law.

The ABA CHR Justice Defenders Program is seeking an organization or an individual expert based in the Western Balkans with experience in working on the elimination of labor trafficking, as well as in providing legal assistance to victims of labor trafficking, to support the Program’s Labor portfolio.

This is an 8-month engagement beginning in early November 2021 through June 2022, with a possibility for extension.

1) Background

The Justice Defenders Program provides pro bono legal assistance to human rights advocates working in difficult environments and vulnerable circumstances. The Justice Defenders Program’s global reach enables it to help human rights defenders in virtually any country. The Program is sensitive to varied political and factual circumstances and its assistance is tailored to realities “on the ground.”

The Justice Defenders Program has recently launched its Labor portfolio, which provides assistance to labor rights defenders and aims to advance labor rights and improve working conditions.

2) Responsibilities

The Contractor organization or expert will report to ABA Justice Defenders Legal Advisor for Labor Rights and Corporate Accountability.

• The core responsibilities are divided into four deliverables:
  1. Conduct fact-finding in cases where labor trafficking may have taken place and produce a report with relevant factual and legal timelines to be used for legal and advocacy work.
  2. Work with ABA’s international experts to produce a legal analysis of the consistency of relevant local practices and laws with international standards.
  3. Conduct activities aimed at raising the general public and policymakers’ awareness of the potential dangers of trafficked labor in the context of any relevant legal reforms (e.g. changes to labor law, trade law, etc.).
  4. Advocate for the improvement of enforcement practices against trafficked labor, targeting relevant decisionmakers.
• Perform other tasks as necessary and as agreed upon between the contractor and the ABA.

How to apply:

How to Apply:

• Please send the following documents in a single PDF to April Artrip at april.artrip@americanbar.org
  1. Statement of interest describing any prior relevant work/projects by the organization/individual (1-2 pages)
  2. Resume, CV, or organizational description
  3. Quotes per each deliverable with a short list of indicative activities under each deliverable (1-2 pages).
• Application deadline: November 10, 2021. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.