Legal Consultant -Digital Child Protection Legislative Reform, Beirut, Lebanon - National Consultant
Organizational Context
UN Women works to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and achieve gender equality. This role supports a legislative initiative in Lebanon focused on protecting children from digital and technology-facilitated harms, aiming to strengthen gender-responsive governance and women's participation in policy processes.
Job Purpose
This consultancy aims to provide specialized legal expertise to assess Lebanon's existing legal and institutional framework concerning the protection of children from digital and technology-facilitated harms. The consultant will conduct comparative legal research, consult national stakeholders, and develop evidence-based legislative and regulatory reform options. The ultimate goal is to prepare a technically sound, gender-responsive, and child-rights-based legislative reform package, contributing to the protection of all children, with particular attention to girls, and supporting a woman parliamentarian's legislative initiative.
Responsibilities
The consultant will undertake a comprehensive assessment of Lebanon's legal and institutional framework related to digital child protection. This includes developing an inception report with methodology and workplan, identifying key legislative areas for review, and proposing criteria for comparative research. A detailed mapping and gap analysis of existing laws, regulations, and institutional practices will be conducted, examining areas such as child protection, criminal law, cybercrime, privacy, and victim support, with a focus on identifying gaps and implementation challenges. Targeted comparative legal research will be performed on selected international and national frameworks. Stakeholder consultations will be facilitated to validate findings and gather input on reform options. Finally, based on the analysis and consultations, the consultant will develop and draft legislative and regulatory reform options, including a potential standalone law, amendments, or regulatory measures.
Work Experience
A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in legal analysis, legislative drafting, reform, or policy development is required. Specific experience in drafting or reviewing legislation in Lebanon, and demonstrated knowledge of the Lebanese legal system, are essential. Experience in at least two of the following areas is required: child rights, criminal law, cybercrime, privacy law, digital rights, or gender-based violence. Experience with legal gap analyses, comparative legal research, and applying international human rights standards is also necessary.
Skills
Legal analysis, Legislative drafting, Legislative reform, Comparative legal research, Stakeholder consultation, Child rights, Criminal law, Cybercrime, Technology law, Privacy law, Gender-based violence, Human rights standards.