Project Completion Report

To be completed by the implementing organisation within three months of the end of project.

All sections should be completed, and returned to the Project Officer in the Post.

The final project payment cannot be made until the Project Completion Report has been submitted to the Post.

 

  1. Basic Information
Foreign Policy Priority* 1.  Safeguard Britain’s national security by countering terrorism and weapons proliferation, and working to reduce conflict.

– Strengthening the rules based international system in support of our values

 

 
Fund/Programme FCO Strategic Programme Fund and Bilateral Programme Fund
Programme Indicator
Country Business Plan Objective
Project Title Deploying a team of mobile human rights defenders in Kirkuk Governorate to document instances of sexual violence in conflict and to assist with the development of cases.
Countries covered Iraq
Name of Implementer INMAA
Planned start Date Aug 2015 Actual start date Aug 2015
Planned end Date March 2016 Actual end date March 2016
Please explain any variance in planned start and end dates


Project Design

Project Purpose (from the original Project Bidding Form)

(1 sentence only, describing the anticipated change. The direct benefit the project will achieve resulting from the activities and outputs. The reason for doing the project )
 

This project will train a team of human rights defenders to deal with the documentation of sexual violence and other gender based cases, in victim sensitive ways that will allow them to build on the work they have already done and provide a database of cases across a two year period that will inform policy of the Ministry of Human Rights, help victims achieve access to justice where this is available, frame policy proposals to enable access to Justice where it is not available and build links to health services for a therapeutic responses.

 

Were any significant changes to project design agreed with Post? (outputs, activities, budgets, duration etc.,) Please describe these changes.
Database

In the original iteration of the mobile human rights defenders programme, there was a serious underestimation of the time and complexity involved in the design, development and deployment of the database that will be used to log cases. The increased complexity has resulted due to the scope and nature of the cases that have been presented and the methodological issues raised by the design of the database and the ambition of the project to go beyond “do no harm” in the engagement with victims of sexual violence in conflict and other cases involving domestic violence and women’ rights.

 

In terms of the scope and nature of the cases presented, the time involved in logging cases has proven to be considerably more than initially envisioned. This is in part because of the differences in field structure between the paper record and basic database that was being used and the new one that has been designed. The caseload has therefore been divided into three categories: old cases involving sexual violence along with other old cases and current and future cases involved sexual violence and other offences. The focus of the logging will be to capture all current cases and to then move onto past cases. Within these categories the plan is to prioritise cases of sexual violence in conflict and then move onto other cases. The selection process and the complexity of inputting the cases, especially the historic cases, will require a considerably higher commitment in terms of staff time than was initially planned. The importance of the historic record is to be able to analyse the impact of Daesh on sexual violence in conflict in Kirkuk province and to show to the central government the way in which these statistics can be used and deployed.

 

The design of the database has been influenced by the trauma based programme that has been devised alongside it. This has changed the nature of the questions that are being asked of witnesses and victims and altered the working practices of INMAA. This change goes beyond merely an information management issue but has involved changes to processes and procedures for the engagement between INMAA and its clients. The way in which initial forms are completed and data is organised has needed to change. This involved more people being involved in the training programme and changes to the procedures used that will required more training and engagement with the core INMAA team.

 

The long-term impact of this project lies in the interface between the data collection, interviewing and processes of INMAA in the field and the research work of the Expressive Writing handbook, which has been translated and turned into an E book. The project has already made clear the extent to which the work on Expressive Writing and the integration of this therapeutic approach in the working practices of INMAA will alter the experience of the subjects that INMAA comes into contact with. The training, which is currently being completed, will introduce the new approach to client interface into INMAA. However, to capture the data of current and future cases the processes needed to be changed and brought into line with the principles of the expressive writing programme and the data from these cases needs to be open to analysis. This also required a more complex data protection regime so that the information can be transferred to the research team and the exercises completed can be added to the database.

 

The expressive writing team would welcome the opportunity of presenting the work to date and the shape of future research in this area whenever that would be convenient.

 

  1. Achievement of Project Purpose
Purpose level indicators

(from original proposal)

 Status before the project started

(from original proposal)

 Outcome achieved at the end of the project Source of information (where you obtain the information or evidence)
1. To deploying a team of mobile human rights defenders in Kirkuk Governorate to prepare and document legal cases and provide support for victims of sexual violence through recording and documenting their cases which can then be referred to the courts or to health services for a therapeutic response and build a picture of instances of sexual violence over a two year period in Kirkuk. In  2013-2014 – 2400 cases had been dealt with but then the team was suspended because of the withdrawal of donors from the region due to the security situation Team created, trained and deployed. Currently dealing with 1000 on-going cases, in addition, 150 cases of sexual violence, including 20 Yazedian cases, 2 Christian and the others a mix of Arab and Kurd. 358 other new cases violence opened.

 

 Database designed to conform to Part 2 of the International Protocol.

 
2. The Mobile Team working across Kirkuk – providing legal representation for new cases as they arise As above Team is dealing with a higher volume of cases than when it was active in 2013-2014 and these cases are being recorded in a database that meets international standards Database and paper based record management system
3. Documentation and Care for Victims of Sexual Violence

 

 Number of cases dealt with in 2013-2014: 2400

Current practice of recording sexual violence cases

 See note above on changes to the implementation of the project. The database has been designed and made operational but this involved significant changes to the working practices of INMAA and the process of change is on-going. In terms of care of victims and engagement with them the handbook and training have been designed and implemented and the working practices of the team changed. Handbook and power points for training programme attached.
4. Database of instances of Sexual Violence in Kirkuk Governorate, 2013-2015 Existing caseload in database

New measurement of cases recorded after training

 Once the new system is bedded in, the team will begin the process of transferring the historic records to the database to produce the data over an extended period.  As above

 

 

Has the purpose been achieved? If not, give reasons. Please state the sources of evidence
The database, the handbook, the court records of Kirkuk and other public sources show the purpose of creating the unit has been achieved and its working practices have been brought into line with best practice in the care of victims. The logging of historic cases has not proceeded as quickly because the workload of new cases has been the priority but these new cases are being dealt with using the techniques developed in the Expressive Writing project and the cases are being recorded in the database that meets international standards.

 

Have any external factors contributed to the achievement of the project purpose? Please describe.
The work by Beyond Borders’ contract teams from Kingston University and Open University on the Expressive Writing project has gone well beyond expectations in the depth and comprehensive material they have produced. This in turn enabled the INMAA team to reflect on and improve their working practices especially with respect to the interface with victims/clients. The relative stability of the security situation, within the broader context of the continuing IDP crisis and political instability have remained a significant challenge to INMAA.

 

 

Please describe any unplanned outcomes?
It was established in the delivery of the project that the written based approach to dealing with victims of sexual violence and women with other cases, was not appropriate. The working practices of INMAA and the culture of many of the women required the use of an oral based approached which was captured on paper and then the follow was to allow the women to tell their stories in ways that captured the legal data needed but was also therapeutically helpful. This entailed a revision of the Expressive Writing material, as reflected in the handbook. The Handbook and all the training materials were also translated.

 

 

  1. Outputs
Outputs (from original proposal) Indicator of success

(from original proposal)

 Result at the end of the project.
1. Working from a base office, the mobile legal team will work full work time dealing with legal cases needing court representation, documenting cases and providing pro bono advice. This activity refers only to new cases as they arise. Cases logged in Database and individuals helped Team operating and dealing with around 1500 cases currently but could be doing significantly more and only operating in some parts of the governorate.
2. A target of 2000 to be reached with legal information and guides to their rights. To raise awareness of the existence of the clinic so that new cases can be dealt with. 3000 leaflets have been designed and printed by the communication team and carefully distributed. Large-scale banners, 6 of them, are used for the public meetings. There have been five radio programs advertising the clinic and appearing monthly from September to January.

 

 The volume of case referrals and the attendance at meetings suggests that the target of 2000 women reached with legal information has been exceeded and that the awareness element of the project has been delivered.
3. The project will be advised by a steering committee including women leaders and returnees’ women representatives, women union committee, representative and key persons among the women community. Steering committee meetings held and form an important part of keeping the community on-board and supportive of the project Access to women continues to be a problem but the operation of the steering committee and engagement with elders allows the message of the clinic to get across.
4. The team will undergo a training programme in the documentation of cases of sexual violence and these will be logged in database conforming to international standards. This refers both to dealing with new cases as they arise and it refers to older cases that will be logged in the database. Cases referred for care or legal redress by the team

Completion of Training programme

 The team are now implementing the use of the database and the new approaches to dealing with clients. Further work is needed to measure the impact of these new approaches.
5. 400 women will participate in 20 legal meetings conducted by the lawyers trained in the recording and documentation of sexual violence, these women will be encouraged to form a network to disseminate information at community level. The aim will be to both raise awareness for current and future cases so that these can be supported, but also to gain information on previous cases that can be logged in the database to provide the overview of sexual violence in the governorate from 2013 to 2015. Number of case and individuals coming forward to record historic cases and register new ones The more detailed 20 legal meetings with 1039 people attending, and these have been held around the governorate and the cases that flow from these meetings suggest that awareness has been raised.
6. Cases from the existing database will also be logged to provide a picture of instances of sexual violence over a two year period by the end of the project.  Number of case and individuals coming forward to record historic cases and register new ones The database is in place but the old cases have not yet been logged. The volume of new cases and the challenges these represent have prevented progress being made on the backlog.

 

 

  1. Project Activities
Were all activities completed? If not, give details
All activities, bar the logging of old cases, were completed however the logging of old cases into the database has not started.

 

  1. Project Expenditure
Planned Total Cost  

 

 Variance

(difference between planned cost and actual cost)
Actual Total Cost  

 

 

Please explain any difference between planned and actual expenditure, where the difference is greater than 5%
 

 

 

Was value for money achieved? Please explain how
A team was created to deal with high levels of complex cases and to log these cases in a database using techniques that reflect best practice for the care of victims. This was done in a community that lacks proper government, borders areas controlled by Daesh and has a very high IDP and refugee population. It is also an area that is contested between the central government and the KRG and in which few NGOs operate. In this context the amount that has been achieved represents excellent value for money. The real challenge as stated in the sustainability section is make these units permanent features of Kirkuk and to then roll these out across Iraq.

 

 

 

 

  1. Sustainability
 What evidence do you have that the benefits of your project will be sustained? Please describe
The creation of a new secure database of two years of cases and witness accounts of victims of sexual violence in conflict was to be submitted to the Ministry of Human Rights, to KRG, to relevant UN agencies and to other donors to support the case for additional funding for the Mobile Human Rights Defenders. The Ministry is being abolished and the Minister could not engage so the concept was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior. Until a response was received from the Baghdad government it was not felt to be tactically correct to submit to the KRG. The project was submitted to UNICEF for on-going support but this was rejected.

 

The situation at the moment is that if additional funding cannot be found to keep the Unit running until Iraqi sources of funding can be found, then it will have to close. The success of the project suggests that rather than look at closing the project the UK government should be considering expanding the work to encompass four more mobile units so that the whole of the governorate is covered.

 

 

 

 

  1. Key Lessons Learned
What were the three main lessons learned that could be applicable to running this type of project again elsewhere?
1) The need to be flexible in the delivering of training programmes in circumstances like Kirkuk where the situation on the ground can change quickly.
2) Importance of working with international partners who can adapt their programmes to the circumstances they encounter rather remain set on delivering their pre-existing designed programmes.
3) Central importance of building trust with whatever local political entities exist in the situation in which you are trying to engage with potential clients.

 

We would welcome your feedback and comments on FCO procedures and systems in relation to this project.
For a small NGO working in very challenging circumstances it would be very much better to be paid in advance rather than in arrears. This has been very challenging for INMAA. The FCO could also be more proactive in helping to plan and develop the sustainability of the project in the context of a situation like Kirkuk.