CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Financial Support for Strategic Litigation Against Torture
REDRESS is inviting applications for financial partnerships to support strategic litigation against torture in the context of protests and discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons.
Priority will be given to applications from Africa and Latin America, but strong applications from other regions will be considered. This support is through the United Against Torture Consortium, which is funded by the European Union.
This call for applications is focused on projects aimed at using strategic litigation to address torture in the context of (i) protests (protestors and dissidents), and (ii) discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons.
Discriminatory torture against women, the LGBTIQ+ community, refugees, migrants, and those facing multiple forms of discrimination also remains a concerning feature across the world, alongside structural inequalities and discrimination that may hinder these groups’ access to justice. Across the globe, torture is used to silence those who dissent or to further oppress marginalised and excluded minorities. The use and threat of torture against human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, protesters, or others who dissent closes civil society space, creating an atmosphere of fear that makes it even more difficult to hold governments to account.
Strategic Litigation is an approach of bringing a legal claim with an objective of change beyond the individual case. The goals of strategic litigation can be achieved by combining casework with other civil society techniques including research, advocacy for structural reforms, outreach, community organising, public education, and capacity strengthening. Applicants are encouraged to refer to the REDRESS Practice Note No. 2 on Holistic Strategic Litigation against Torture. It provides further guidance on the concept of strategic litigation, and how to deliver it in the context of torture and ill-treatment before regional and international human rights treaty bodies.
Priorities
For this call REDRESS will prioritise applications that:
- Focus on torture in the context of dissent and discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons
- Are from organisations that have a history of using strategic litigation against torture, or other skills and experience relevant to delivering such a project
- Priority will be given to applicants from Africa and Latin America, but strong applications from other regions will be considered
Information on Financial Support
- Under this call for applications, you can apply for financial support up to €20,000 Euros
- No individual project will be supported for longer than 12 months
- Projects should start no earlier than November 2024 and be completed by December 2025
Eligibility Criteria
The call for application is primarily aimed at anti-torture non-governmental organisations.
To be considered an applicant must:
- Be a legally registered or constituted organisation
- Be a not-for profit, charitable organisation or law firm undertaking torture cases
- Have proof of incorporation or registration with the relevant national authority
- Have a mandate and experience relating to challenging torture
What we are not able to support:
- Projects which do not benefit the anti-torture movement
- Projects which may have an aim of advancing justice and reparation for torture but do not relate to strategic litigation
- Individuals, including individual student scholarships, or airfares, or attendance at overseas conferences
- Core funding in the form of ongoing support of applicants’ operational or organisational costs such as wages and salaries, office items and communications
Application Review Cycle
| Step | What you can expect |
| Application Received | These will be reviewed on a rolling basis until 11 November 2024. |
| Initial Review | We will review the application form and let you know if we can take the application forward. |
| Review / Due Diligence Process | Applications will be looked at more carefully and we will request a budgeted proposal (using the budget template we provide). Applicants may need to provide supporting documentation. There will also be a due diligence process to assess the capacity of the NGO to deliver the work. We will communicate to applicants who do not pass the due diligence process and provide feedback on the due diligence assessment outcome. |
| Final Decision and Payment | We will contact successful applicants after which the funds will be disbursed. |
How to Apply
Download and fill out the Application Form, then email them to [email protected].
The application window is open from 12 September 2024 – 11 November 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please note that there are six awards available. If suitable applicants are identified before the deadline, we reserve the right to close the application window earlier.
Download Applicant Documents:
About the United Against Torture Consortium
The United Against Torture Consortium brings together the global memberships of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) and the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT) with the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), Omega Research Foundation, and REDRESS. The consortium works in partnership with national civil society organisations and other partners worldwide to build a global movement. The three-year project is focused on providing direct assistance to thousands of torture survivors and strengthening local staff capacity to advocate with national actors responsible for torture prevention and rehabilitation. Survivors’ experiences and, for those who wish, their direct participation is at the centre of the consortium’s torture prevention, rehabilitation and justice processes, both nationally and internationally.