• Duration: 3 November 2025 – 31 March 2026
  • Renumeration / Budget: CHF 10,000 for the consultancy
  • Application deadline: 12 October 2025
  • Location / Modality: Remote work, with in-person meeting in Geneva, Switzerland for a two-day expert group consultation
  • Language: English (with high-level proficiency in one or more of French, Spanish, Arabic desirable)
  • Deliverables include: Final guidance note (approx. 20-25 pages + annexes), executive summary; draft; outline; participation in consultation meeting 

 

The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) is hiring a consultant to develop a practical guidance document outlining key outstanding standards and practices to support States and relevant stakeholders in improving conditions of detention for LGBTIQ+ persons deprived of liberty and ensuring the full realisation of their rights. The consultancy will take place from November 3 to March 31, 2026.  

About the APT

The APT (www.apt.ch) works for societies without torture and ill-treatment. Established in 1977, we helped establish a global system to prevent torture and ill-treatment by increasing transparency in all places where people are deprived of their liberty under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and other instruments.

APT’s vision: Societies without torture or ill-treatment.

APT’s mission:

  • Influencing national, regional and international legal frameworks, standards, policies and practices to reduce risks of torture and ill-treatment.
  • Supporting partners’ efforts to advance torture prevention, and contributing our respective expertise and resources to maximise impact.
  • Bringing people together in constructive dialogue to build support for torture prevention and identify practical solutions.

 

About the project

The consultancy is to be conducted within the context of a three-year project (2023 – 2026) aimed at contributing to better protection for women and LGBTIQ+ individuals deprived of their liberty, through increased awareness among national oversight mechanisms and criminal justice actors, as well as improved policies and practices. The project will highlight the forms of abuse and discrimination uniquely or disproportionately suffered by women and LGBTIQ+ people when deprived of their liberty. Based on the identification of good practices, the APT will encourage and contribute to changes in the policies and practices of national actors.  

As part of this project, the APT identified the need to map promising practices from State authorities and institutions emerging in a few countries that protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons in detention and to develop guidance based on research and evidence, incorporating the perspectives of LGBTIQ+ organisations and people with lived experience. This will help prison authorities, oversight mechanisms and civil society to raise awareness, assess and improve care for LGBTIQ+ persons deprived of liberty.  

Objectives of the consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a guidance document of outstanding standards and practices aimed at improving conditions of detention for LGBTIQ+ persons deprived of liberty and securing the fulfilment of their rights.  

The document will be primarily targeted at State actors involved in the administration and management of places of deprivation of liberty (e.g., correctional service agencies and personnel, prison administration agencies), public policy advisors and decision-makers. As a secondary audience, the document will also be valuable for criminal justice actors, including judges, prosecutors, public defenders, lawyers and police, as well as national and local preventive mechanisms and civil society organisations working in this area.  

Specifically, the guidance document should:

  • Systematise examples from all regions of the world, aiming to include at least two examples of positive practice from each continent.  
  • Present examples of measures established at the normative level (such as public policies, legislation, and rules of procedure) and/or implemented in practice (even in the absence of a regulatory or normative framework) that have a positive impact on the treatment and living conditions for LGBTIQ+ persons deprived of liberty within the criminal justice system, address the specific risks faced by this population, strengthen the protection of their physical and mental integrity, and ensure the effective fulfillment of their rights.
  • Address the main issues related to treatment and living conditions of deprivation of liberty. The categories of issues as displayed in APT`s Detention Focus Database can be used as a reference to determine and frame the issues to be addressed in the guidance note.  
  • Address the situation of LGBTIQ+ staff working in places of detention, considering prison staff training and recruitment and policies and practices relating to LGBTIQ+ staff.
  • Present examples of judicial rulings and decisions in advancing the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons in contact with the criminal justice system and in strengthening the protection of their physical and mental integrity.
  • Provide recommendations on approaches to developing promising practices, based on the analysis of the identified examples.
  • The document will be drafted and published originally in English.

 

This initiative contributes to the implementation of Strategic Goal No. 3 of APT’s Strategic Plan 2025–2028 and aims to encourage national authorities to take specific measures to protect the rights and dignity of LGBTIQ+ persons in detention.  

Scope of the consultancy

Duration

The consultancy will take place from 3 November to 31 March 2026.

Scope of Work

The consultant will draft the guidance document and other deliverables as described on items 3 and 7.  

Methodology

The consultant will adopt a participatory and evidence-based approach, combining:

  • Desk review of relevant documentation.
  • Interviews and discussions with APT staff and key stakeholders.
  • Confidential handling of all data and interview content, in line with professional and ethical standards.

 

A consultative group, comprising 10 experts and practitioners representing diverse expertise and experiences in issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation, prison settings, and the criminal justice system, has been established as a support resource available throughout the research development and drafting of the final product. The composition of the consultative experts' group reflects a diverse geographic and gender-balanced representation, including representatives of NGOs, national preventive mechanisms, corrections agencies, research groups, and justice institutions. As part of the methodology for developing the guidance note, APT plans to convene all ten consultative group members for a face-to-face meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to collectively review and discuss the draft guidance note.

Budget and Support from APT

The consultancy is allocated a total budget of CHF 10,000. The consultancy fees do not include the cost of interpretation for interviews with key stakeholders as part of the research, nor the use of necessary tools or software. Such costs will be covered directly by the APT, subject to available funding and approval by APT. The APT will also cover travel and accommodation expenses related to the consultant’s participation in the consultation meeting with the expert group, scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2026.

APT will provide:

  • Background documents.
  • Assistance with the identification of key stakeholders and contacts for interviews, ensuring they are informed and have consented to participate.

  • A designated focal point within APT staff and support from other staff as needed.

     

Expected deliverables and tentative timeframe

The following outputs are expected to be delivered by the consultant: 

Deliverables 

Deadline 

  • Detailed workplan in English 

The consultant shall prepare a structured work plan detailing the proposed methodology and timeline for interim steps and execution of the consultancy. The submission of these documents aims to align the expectations of the consultant and APT and clarify any potential misunderstandings. 

 

 

10 November 2025 

  • Outline of the guidance note in English 

The consultant shall deliver an outline of the guidance note, detailing the main structure, including sections and issues to be covered.  

 

 

30 November 2025 

  • Draft guidance note in English 

The consultant shall submit a complete first draft of the guidance note.  

 

15 January 2026 

 

  • Preparation and moderation of a two-day face-to-face consultation meeting with the expert group (to take place in Geneva). The consultant shall prepare the proposed agenda for the meeting in close coordination with the APT supporting team for this project. The consultant shall also have the role in moderating some of the debate sessions of the meeting, together with APT staff involved in the project. 

February – Early March 2026 (date to be confirmed) 

  • Final guidance note and executive summary in English 

The consultant shall submit the final version of the guidance note (approximately 20-25 pages, including annexes) and a concise executive summary (1-2 pages), which reflects the inputs from the consultation meeting and APT.  

March 2026 

 

Qualifications of consultant

The consultant should have the following qualifications and competencies:  

  • Proven record in working in the field of international human rights, gender identity and sexual orientation, criminal justice and prison system.
  • Knowledge about gender identity and sexual orientation within prison settings.
  • Experience in drafting guidance materials, technical notes, or other written outputs comparable to the present consultancy.  
  • Ability to write texts of high quality in English.
  • High-level proficiency in a second language is highly desirable, in particular French, Spanish and/or Arabic.
  • Independence and absence of conflict of interests.

 

Submission and selection process

  • Applicants shall submit the following documents by 12 October 2025, to jobs@apt.ch with “Consultancy: standards and practices aimed at protecting LGBTIQ+ persons deprived of liberty” in the title of the email:
  • Cover letter (max. 1 page) demonstrating how the consultant(s) previous experiences of comparable projects, but also their knowledge and expertise fit well with this assignment.  
  • Short proposal (maximum 2 pages) that outlines the proposed approach and methodology, budget and timeline.
  • CV, including references to licences, certifications, accreditations, etc.
  • 1 example at least of a comparable assignment carried out within the last 3 years.  
  • Contact details of 2 references expected to support claims of knowledge, skills and experience.

For any questions, please contact Ms Laurence Pavia, APT Administration and Human Resources Manager, at jobs@apt.ch. Questions submitted after the deadline will not be answered.  

The consultant(s) will be selected through online interviews. The contract will be concluded within one week following notification of the successful applicant, with the consultancy commencing on 3 November 2025.