ActionAid Bangladesh is looking for suitable candidates for the following position:

 

       Lawyer (Roving)

       

Project Name	:	Inclusive Services and Opportunities (ISO) for Human Capital Development and Livelihood, funded by UNFPA
Location of Posting	:	Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram
No. of Position	:	02 (Two)
Duration of Contract	:	Fixed-term contract up to 31 December 2026 (renewable depending on funding availability and performance).
Salary and benefits	:	Monthly Gross Salary BDT. 48,169 with other admissible benefits such as mobile & internet allowance, group life insurance etc.

 

 

Job Summary:

 

According to the Population and Housing Census 2022 conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Chattogram Division has a population of 33,202,326 people (33.7%) across 7,528,141 households. The incidence of extreme poverty, as per estimates from the lower poverty line, stands at 13.10% in the division. The youth population (15-24) increased from 18.16% in 2011 to 19.11% in 2022. Widows, divorced women, and separated women represent 8.94%, 0.46%, and 0.46% respectively of the division's population.

The Chattogram Division, including Cox’s Bazar District, has recorded some of the highest gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence rates in Bangladesh, as indicated by the 2024 Violence Against Women (VAW) survey conducted by BBS in collaboration with UNFPA. Findings revealed that 78.5% of ever-married women have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, with 45.5% subjected to physical violence, 34.1% encountering sexual violence, and 70.8% reporting controlling behaviors from an intimate partner. Despite these concerning statistics, 72.8% of survivors did not disclose or report their experiences, underscoring the urgent need for strengthened intervention mechanisms, survivor-centered services, and comprehensive policy frameworks. Only 6% women seek legal support, and 50% women are unaware of where to report a GBV incident.

To respond to these challenges, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) manages one district level One Stop Crisis Center in Cox’s Bazar and four One Stop Crisis Cells (OCC) in the upazilas of Ukhiya, Teknaf, Moheshkhali and Kutubdia. The facilities are located within the premises of the district and upazila hospitals managed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). From 2021 to 2024, the Health and Gender Support Project (HGSP) - funded by the World Bank and supported by UNFPA - provided support to strengthen the integration of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response services in these facilities. The project also upgraded the GBV services to ensure their alignment with the international standards, i.e. survivor-centered GBV case management services, enhanced provision of psychosocial counseling, stronger referral system, and a safe, ethical and confidential GBV data management system. The HGSP catalysed partnership and collaboration among MoWCA, MoHFW and UNFPA, improving access and utilization of the multi-sectoral GBV response services. Today the OCCs are fully functional and provide the upgraded services to women and girls in need.

In continuation with the achievements of the HGSP, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA) is leading the implementation of the “Inclusive Services and Opportunities (ISO) for Human Capital Development and Livelihood” project with UNFPA technical assistance and the World Bank financial support. The ISO Project aims to increase access to life-saving and comprehensive gender-based violence (GBV) and child marriage prevention and response services, skills development support, information and awareness for women, adolescents, and youth in the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar and Bhashan Char, as well as for Host Communities (HCs) in Chattogram Division. In the context of the project, MOWCA will run various GBV response facilities - One Stop Crisis Centers, Cells, Regional Trauma Centre, and safe shelters - across the 11 districts of Chattogram Division to continue providing essential GBV response services and align them with international guidelines and tools. UNFPA will provide human resource deployment and capacity enhancement support to these facilities.

In this context, the two Lawyer (Roving)  will work closely with the Department of Women Affairs (DWA) and MoWCA representatives and will ensure in delivering legal (justice and legal aid) services for the GBV survivors through One Stop Crisis Centre, One Stop Crisis Cells, Regional Trauma Centre, and safe shelters based in the Chattogram Division.

Under the overall supervision and strategic guidance from the ISO project direction, both the       Lawyer (Roving) will work with the Deputy Project Director- ISO project    to strengthen service delivery and coordination.

Key responsibilities include (not limited to):

Legal Counseling & Case Support (30%)

·         Provide legal information to GBV survivors following survivor-centered principles.

·         Informed survivors about their legal rights, available remedies, costing, time, engagement.

·         Participate in case conferences and coordination meetings as required.

·         Support awareness sessions on GBV laws and legal procedures when assigned.

·         Ensure compliance with safeguarding, GBV guiding principles and child protection.

·         Ensure women, girls and child friendly environments in legal support.

·         Ensure Legal counselling assistance to the safe shelter, Regional Trauma Council Center and safe space-based survivors.

·         Apply effective risk management techniques and offer proactive advice on what to do, what not to do, what will be the consequences.

·         Liaison with panel lawyers, local police stations, and District Legal Aid Committees as needed.

·         Sharing updates of cases with the case worker & safe space supervisor accordingly.

·         Support preparation of legal documents, complaints, affidavits, and court-related paperwork.

·         Respond to calls in a timely, empathetic, and non-judgmental manner, prioritizing survivor safety and immediate legal needs

       Coordination, Referral & Follow-up (20%)

●        Support legal aspects of GBV case management in coordination with case workers and psychosocial counselors.

●        Follow up legal cases with police, courts, legal aid offices and relevant authorities.

●        Maintain updated case tracking and legal follow-up records.

●        Strengthening coordination with police, courts, public prosecutors, legal aid committees, bar associations, and NGOs.

●        Strengthen referral pathways by facilitating survivor access to government legal aid, shelters, medical services, justice mechanisms, and other protection services.

 

      Field Visits & Roving Support (20%)

●     Conduct regular visits to OCCs, safe shelters, RTCC and field locations across Chattogram Division, including remote upazilas to ensure equitable access to legal services for survivors.

●        Support frontline staff (case workers, MHPSS counselors, shelter Coordinator) by clarifying legal procedures, mentoring on survivor rights, and strengthening their capacity to handle urgent legal needs.

●        Identify systemic gaps in legal service delivery and recommend practical improvements tailored to the local justice context.

●        Ensure survivor safety and confidentiality during field interventions, applying risk management techniques to navigate sensitive cases in conservative or high-risk communities.

●        Document field level challenges and trends and feed these insights into program reviews and donor reporting to strengthen GBV response strategies.

Capacity Building, Documentation & Reporting (20%)

●        Provide basic legal orientation and mentoring to OCC staff and partners.

●        Support awareness sessions on GBV laws, survivor rights, and legal procedures when required.

●        Prepare case summaries, monthly activity reports, and legal service reports.

●        Maintains precise case records while upholding survivor-centered confidentiality and compliance with GBV data protection standards.    

●        Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant laws, policies, and procedures.

●        Produce monthly and quarterly progress reports and share them with the concerned parties, through proper reporting channels ensuring confidentiality and compliance with global GBV protection standards.      

Networking and Liaison (10%)

●        Strengthen institutional relationships with justice sectors, hospital authorities, bar associations, NGOs, district/upazila level Department of Women Affairs officials and community-based organizations to promote survivor-centered legal services in Chattogram Division.

●        Maintain regular communication and trust-building with police, prosecutors, and district legal aid committees to encourage survivor-friendly practices and accountability in GBV case handling.

●        Represent MoWCA/UNFPA facilities in coordination platforms at district and upazila levels, through proper reporting channels ensuring confidentiality and compliance with global GBV protection standards.    

 

Relationships

 

The Lawyer (Roving) directly reports to the Project Coordinator.

Required Educational Qualifications and Experiences

• Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) from a recognized university (LLM preferred).
• Enrollment with the Bangladesh Bar Council is an advantage.

·         Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in legal aid, GBV response, human rights, or protection programs.

·         Experience working with non-governmental organizations or with local government authorities.

Technical Skills

• Clear understanding of GBV guiding principles, gender, human rights, issues surrounding violence against women and girls.
• Experience working with community members, especially with women and girls
• Familiarity with the One-Stop Crisis Center and Cell model is an advantage.
• Experience in preparing progress reports, monitoring reports and presentations.
• Proficient in written and verbal communication in both English and Bengali languages. Fluency in local language is a strong asset.
• Good computer skills, including the use of Word and Excel applications

Application instructions

 

Only those who meet the above requirements are requested to apply following these

instructions:

 

• The last date of application is 14 March 2026. Due to emergency, recruitment will be on rolling. The interested candidates are requested to apply early before deadline
• Please Click Here to submit your application.

 

ActionAid Bangladesh aims to attract and select a diverse workforce, ensuring equal opportunity for everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, HIV status, class, ethnicity, disability, location, and religion. Any personal persuasion/phone call will result in disqualification of candidature.

 

ActionAid Bangladesh has a non-negotiable policy of ZERO TOLERANCE towards Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse (SHEA), Child Protection Policy and other relevant safeguarding policies and expects all employees to abide by the Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct of ActionAid Bangladesh.

 

N.B: There is no cost involved with applying for positions at ActionAid Bangladesh. Any solicitation of funds/money from a job applicant should be regarded as fraudulent.