- Context and Objectives of the Consultancy
Uganda still has a restrictive and ambiguous legal environment surrounding abortion care which has widened the barriers to safe and lawful services and leaving women and girls to navigate an SRHR environment full of stigma, fear, and unsafe practices relating to access to abortion services. While post-abortion care is permitted under the 2016 national health guidelines for sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive abortion care remains restricted under the Penal Code, allowed only to save the life of the mother. The suspension of the Ministry of Health’s Standards and Guidelines on Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity from Unsafe Abortions has further entrenched the perception that abortion services are entirely illegal. This uncertainty is compounded by inconsistent interpretations of abortion laws by law enforcement and judicial officers, leaving healthcare providers hesitant to offer even lawful services for fear of legal repercussions. As a result,women and girls in desperate need of abortion care are left with no choice but to resort to unsafe and dangerous practices, perpetuating preventable maternal deaths.
Ipas Africa Alliance, through its Uganda country program, works to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a particular focus on increasing access to safe abortion care and post-abortion care. A key barrier to access is the misinterpretation and misapplication of Uganda’s abortion-related legal framework, especially among law enforcement officers. This often leads to arbitrary arrests, harassment of healthcare workers, and denial of services to women and girls.
To address this gap, Ipas seeks to engage a legal expert/consultant to develop user-friendly legal reference guides and toolkits that clarify Uganda’s abortion-related laws, policies, and international commitments. These materials will target law enforcement officers to promote informed, rights-based policing and protection of health service providers and clients.
Objectives of the Consultancy
- To develop practical, contextually relevant, and easy to use legal reference guides/toolkits on abortion-related laws in Uganda.
- To strengthen the legal literacy of law enforcement officers on existing abortion-related laws, policies, and judicial precedents.
- To provide tools that reduce wrongful arrests and increase legal protections for women, girls, and health workers
Scope of Work:
The consultant will;
- Conduct an inception meeting with Ipas staff.
- Conduct a desk review of relevant Ugandan laws, policies, guidelines, case law, and international obligations related to abortion and reproductive rights.
- Develop methodology (tools) that will systematically summarize in an understandable non stigmatizing language into a reference guide/tool kit all provisions regarding abortion care in the above documents
- Interview key informants (e.g legal professionals, police officials, health providers, human rights actors) to identify common legal misunderstandings and needs of law enforcement officers.
- Develop a legal reference guide summarizing
- Constitutional and statutory provisions
- Penal Code implications and exceptions
- Relevant Ministry of Health and Police directives
- International and regional human rights instruments ratified by Uganda
- Relevant jurisprudence and Court decisions by Uganda Courts.
- Design a complementary toolkit that includes:
- Complaint and referral pathways
- Present the draft toolkit for stakeholder validation (including law enforcement, legal experts, and civil society)
- Finalize the documents incorporating stakeholder feedback.
- Present the draft of the reference tool to the Ipas policy team for further reviews and proof
- Conduct an orientation training to the IBRC staffs, selected law enforcements officers and other Ipas partners on the use of the legal reference guide.
- Submit the final copy of the legal reference guide to the project manager as the final deliverable.
Technical Requirements:
- Demonstrated knowledge of Uganda’s legal and policy environment related to abortion, SRHR, and criminal justice.
- At least 5 years’ experience in legal research, policy analysis, and toolkit/manual development.
- Prior experience working with or engaging law enforcement agencies is an added advantage.
- Advanced degree in Law (LLB, LLM) with specialization in Human Rights, Public Health Law, or a related field. Being a practicing human rights lawyer in SRHR is an added advantage.
- Strong experience in people-centered and rights-based programming at the policy, strategy as well as implementation level.
- Ability to summarize complex information into simple and understandable formats
- Experience working with organizations that are or are working towards non-hierarchical, shared leadership, or other related practices.
- Good communication skills, both orally and in writing, and fluency in written and spoken English is a must.
Please find more information on the attached TOR.
All applications to be submitted by 15th August 2025 through the portal.