Country: Thailand
Closing date: 31 Oct 2015
Organization: Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN)
Post Title: Human Rights and Advocacy Programme Officer
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Background:
The Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) advocates for the protection of the legal, social and human rights of transgender people as well as the enhancement of their social wellbeing and quality of life in the Asia-Pacific region.
Transgender people in the Asia-Pacific region experience large scale violations of their human rights and are subject to stigmatization and discrimination. Many Asia- Pacific countries continue to discriminate against Transgender people in laws and policies. Transgender people commonly experience barriers including prejudicial treatment, abuse and lack of respect for their identities in accessing healthcare, education, employment and justice in family and social contexts.
Transgender people continue to be pathologized as mentally ill and are widely denied recognition of their gender and protection under governmental laws and policies. During the recent High-Level Roundtable on Gender Identity, Human Rights and the Law in Hong Kong participants highlighted legal gender recognition as a key issue for transgender populations in the Asia-Pacific. It was noted transgender populations are widely denied legal gender recognition and when it is available it is often made subject to a range of preconditions such as marital status, lived experience, surgical interventions and sterilization.
Access to education for transgender persons is undermined by a failure to respect gender diversity and strict stereotyping as well as the prevalence of transphobic bullying and attitudes. Many transgender children and youth do not complete their studies, suffer negative psychological effects from bullying or fail to reach their full potential. Access to employment is also hindered by inadequate gender recognition that leads to mismatched identity documents as well as employer transphobia.
The APTN is seeking a Programme Officer to aid in addressing some of the complex human rights and gender recognition issues faced by transgender people in the Asia- Pacific region. The Programme Officer will report to and work closely with the APTN Programme Manager.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Human Rights & Advocacy Officer will undertake the following tasks:
- Develop and implement an Advocacy Framework for APTN
- Organising consultations on human rights and gender recognition; including developing agenda and logistics preparation;
- Providing administrative support to the APTN Programme Manager and Secretariat as required;
- Draft and distribute reports, briefing papers, letters, press release, op-eds and other submissions to UN human rights bodies;
- Coordinate communication channels with UN partners;
- Disseminate knowledge products as required;
- Support country partners in training and documentation of human rights violations including developing strategies to address and change abusive laws, policies, and practices;
- Respond to queries from partners, media and colleagues in the transgender community on gender recognition and human rights issues when assigned by the Programme Manager;
- Present human rights concerns of transgender people in public forums, international, regional, and national meetings;
- Liaising with APTN country partners and staff to ensure effective coordination and delivery of activities;
- Travelling in region and internationally, when assigned by the Programme Manager;
- Carrying out any other duties as required.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
University degree and/or equivalent experience in Human Rights, Sociology, Law, Health, Community Mobilization, and/or Public Policy or other relevant field
Work Experience:
- Minimum of 2 years of work experience in the human rights and/or advocacy field
- Documented experience working with transgender organizations and/or related issues on human rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identify (SOGI) issues and challenges faced by the transgender community;
- Experience of working with community based organisations is highly preferred;
- Engagement with UN, and other international rights organizations on human rights issues will be an asset;
- Proficiency in written, verbal, organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills;
- Excellent computer skills, proficient in Microsoft Office;
- Proficiency with social media is a strong asset.
- Language Requirement: Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.
Transgender women and men or people with experiences working in transgender issues are strongly encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
To apply please submit CV to Joe Wong at joe.wong@weareaptn.org and Natt Kraipet at natt.kraipet@weareaptn.org by 31 October 2015.For more information, please visit our website at www.weareaptn.org**.**