Classifieds: Ara Trust hiring Legal Protection Officer (0 – 2 yrs PQE) in Delhi

The Ara Trust (Ara) was set up in 2013 by former United Nations (UN) legal officers with the mission of facilitating access to asylum and expanding the protection space for refugees despite the legal vacuum in India. It is India’s first and only centre for refugee law and forced migration studies. Ara Trust Hiring.
It is a women-led organization, and more than 80% of its clients are women and children, many of whom have faced sexual and gender-based violence. The Trust’s clients are from countries either severely affected by conflict or with failed/oppressive states, like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria and Iraq. They include victims of war, victims of anti-government elements like the Taliban, LGBTI individuals, and survivors of torture.

We currently run three initiatives that focus on legal aid, specialized assistance for women and children, and research and policy. Under these initiatives, Ara’s activities primarily involve –

• Providing pro bono legal counselling and representation to refugees seeking asylum before UNHCR;
• Identifying the immediate protection risks of vulnerable refugees and seeking UNHCR’s intervention or referring them to support services where appropriate;
• Creating awareness through focused trainings and workshops for the refugee community, universities, government agencies etc.; and
• Undertaking research on issues of refugee protection and law.

Responsibilities : 

In order to carry out the activities mentioned above, Ara recruits, trains, and supervises skilled candidates to assist in the organization’s work. The selected candidate will be part of Ara’s legal team and his/her tasks shall include:

• Assisting with client intake sessions, which involve registering new refugees, and providing general information regarding UNHCR’s refugee status determination process etc.
• Conducting research on issues of refugee law, on clients’ countries of origin, as well as relevant case law and legal provisions.
• Drafting client testimonies and legal submissions.
• Accompanying clients for their registration/refugee status determination interviews at UNHCR.
• Conducting research for reports/projects on issues related to refugee protection.
• Maintaining office databases and drafting office correspondence.
• Assisting in running the internship/volunteer program.

Criteria for Recruitment: 

• Indian citizen.
• Graduate of Law.
• Willingness to work from 2 January 2017.
• Willingness to travel within New Delhi.
• Preference will be given to those with prior experience working with refugees/migrants/IDPs or other vulnerable clients.

NOTE:

• The contract will initially be for 12 months, and will be extendable subject to availability of funding and the candidate’s performance.
• Salary will be INR 36,000 per month; TDS (10%) will be deducted before payment of salaries.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted in the last week of November for an interview.
• The successful candidate should expect to begin on 2 January 2017.

Number of Openings : 1 (one)

Remuneration Offered : INR 4,32,000/- per annum

Application Procedure & Deadline:

• Please email a letter of interest and an up-to-date CV to office@aralegal.in,
  with the subject line “Application for the post of Legal Protection Officer”.
• The deadline for receiving applications is 5 pm (IST) 25 November 2016. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to appear for a written test on 2 December 2016.
• Candidates will be further shortlisted and invited to appear for an interview on 9 December 2016.
• Candidates based outside New Delhi may appear for the written test and interview remotely.

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