General Information 

• Services/Work Description:  Professional Translation of the English Version of   the Specilized  Legal Aid Manual (53 page in Time Roman, font size 12) and Specilaized legal aid Guideline(49 page in Time roman , font size 12) 
• Anticipated Duration: 10 working days  for each from start to finish 
• Estimated Remuneration: Remuneration will be based on English version page count mentioned.                                                                                                                       
• Expected Start Date: Immediately after signing the contract
• Deadline for Application: October 8, 2025

About the Center for Justice (CJ) 

Center for Justice is Ethiopia’s premier human rights CSO that develops and promotes fair, effective and proportionate responses to criminal justice problems. CJ works to promote criminal justice system that uphold human rights and the rule of law, improving access to justice and legal services, improving prison conditions through sustainable practices, improving environmental conditions in prisons, prioritizes alternatives to imprisonment and has rehabilitation and reintegration at its core. CJ also promotes gender- responsive justice system   and “Smart prisons” that integrate cutting-edge technology into all aspects of prison operations such as tools for day-to-day prison management, healthcare, case management, inmate’s education and training and staff training.  CJ is deeply committed to advancing SDG 16, which promotes peace, justice, and strong institutions. We work to ensure that human rights standards are upheld within prison facilities, advocating for meaningful reforms in line with international human rights principles. The CJ's priority is to ensure that detainees are treated humanely and with respect for their dignity, regardless of the reasons for their detention.

CJ works to strengthen prison management, foster the rehabilitation and social reintegration prospects of offenders,  improve access to health care, including  the underlying determinants of health, such as safe drinking water and adequate sanitation; safe food; adequate nutrition and housing, improve the living condition for prisoners and children in prison , initiates legislative reforms in relation to prisoners' handling, develop the efficiency and leadership capacity of prisons and law enforcement officials, grounded in universally recognized UN standards and norms, such United Nations standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners, the Nelson Mandela rules, and the United Nations Rules for the treatment of women prisoners and non-custodial measures for women offenders of the Bangkok rules and Tokiyo rules . 

Center for Justice (CJ) is working for systemic and service changes in the Ethiopian Criminal Justice System to create a just, humane and effective prison and penal system by influencing decision –makers, opinion formers and the public. 

In the effort to tackle systemic/structural factor limiting the respect and protection of right, prevalence of rule of law, the Center for Justice has put in place on going advocacy and lobbying for policy improvement, issuance and amendment of laws and procedures, and establishment of institutions that help improve human rights, rule of law, access to justice and legal service, conditions of detention, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates

Through its projects, CJ has prioritized the strengthening of the Human Rights Defenders in prison facilities, with the goal of eradicating ill-treatment and other human rights violations in detention facilities. 

We are at the forefront of pushing for the enactment of the legal aid strategy, enactment of federal and regional prison commission’s proclamations, drafting of legal aid proclamation, drafting of inmates reintegration proclamation, enactment of revised pardon directive, drafting of juvenile justice strategy and national level assessment to setup national prison service standard 

 In general, CJ is working towards a nation in which no one is deprived of their liberty unless strictly necessary; a nation in which prisoners’ and children human rights is respected in safe and secure prisons with decent conditions; a nation in which penal system is gender-, age- and disability-responsive; and in which ex-prisoners are supported to reintegrate as full members of our societies.

CJ gives a special attention for the most vulnerable people like women prisoners, children living with their incarcerated parents or primary care givers, persons with disabilities and juveniles. While CJ’s immediate focus are the prisons and penal reforms and the disadvantaged groups of the Ethiopian prison population, its impact will resonate across society – creating safer and fairer communities for future generations. 

CJ, established 16 years ago, has been a change-oriented organization that has faced numerous challenges and adapts to changes in its environment. It has significantly influenced improvements in detention conditions, rehabilitation services, prison facilities, access to justice for vulnerable groups, the enactment of federal and regional prison proclamations, juvenile justice policy, legal aid proclamation, re-integration proclamation and prison service standard setting.

Vision: A society where, the criminal justice system upholds human rights, the rule of law and imprisonment is used as a last resort

CJ’s mission is to amplify and promote policies and practices that:

• Transform the prison and  justice ecosystem, 
• Prioritize alternatives to imprisonment , 
• Uphold human rights and the rule of law, 
• Champions effective  and efficient rehabilitation and reintegration,
• Improve environmental conditions for inmates, 
• Influence parliament, government and officials towards reform

We do this through a strategic approach to advocacy, campaign for change of attitude, practical interventions that improve the condition of detention, community engagement and network building that brings synergy to its works and voice to its advocacy initiatives

Background /Project Description 

The Center for Justice (a local CSO), in collaboration with UNODC, has developed a project proposal to enhance the quality and coverage of legal aid services provided by CSOs and University Legal Clinics in the country. The project has secured funding from the EU in Ethiopia and is being implemented starting in September 2023. 

The objective of the project is linked to the specific objective 3 of the EU Programme titled “Support to Criminal Justice Reform in Ethiopia”, i.e., improved access to justice for all, the poor, women, and other groups living in vulnerable situations through increased access to legal aid and assistance. More specifically, the project aims to deliver activities and outputs that target CSOs and University Legal Aid service providers with financial and technical support to improve the availability, accessibility, and quality of legal aid services in the Ethiopian Criminal Justice System. 

The overall objective of the project is to create improved access to justice in the Ethiopian criminal justice system, in particular for the poor, women, and other groups living in vulnerable situations through access to legal aid and assistance. The specific objective of the project is to enhance improved availability, accessibility, and quality of legal aid services in the Ethiopian Criminal Justice System.

One of the key challenges in the national legal aid system in Ethiopia, especially the provision of services by CSOs and university legal aid clinics, is the absence of uniform standards and procedures.

In order to address this critical gap in the legal aid system, it has been deemed necessary to ensure that Criminal Legal Aid and Specialized Legal Aid Manuals and Guidelines are accessible to a wider audience. At present, the documents are prepared in English only and have not yet been translated into the local languages. The absence of translated versions significantly limits usability and prevents stakeholders—particularly non-native speakers—from fully benefiting from these resources. To address this challenge, we are now seeking translation services. This initiative will promote inclusiveness, enhance understanding, and strengthen the overall effectiveness of the legal aid system. 

To this end, CJ is looking for qualified and experienced translators for the translation of  English version of the Criminal Legal Aid Manual in to Afan Oromo and Amharic 

Purpose of the Assignment:
The assignment aims to expand access to essential legal aid resources by ensuring they are easily understandable and  available in multiple languages with clarity, accuracy, and consistency. Specifically, it involves:

• Translating the Specialized Legal Aid Manual into Amharic and Afan Oromo languages.
• Translating the Specialized legal aid  Guideline into Amharic and Afan Oromo languages 

Required Number of Consultants---- 2(1 for Afan Oromo and 1 for Amharic)

Qualifications:

The translator should have:

• Proven expertise in legal translation, preferably in criminal legal aid contexts.
• Have experience in similar undertaking and a Master’s degree (LLM) or higher in law is required.
• Strong knowledge of legal terminology and concepts.
• The candidate should have a proven track record of producing precise, reliable, and reader-friendly translations, or be able to submit samples of previous legal translations or references from past clients. 

Deliverables

• Translated  English version of Specialized  legal aid manual  in Afan Oromo 
• Translated  English version of Specialized legal aid manual  in Amharic 
• Translated  English version of Specialized  legal aid guideline   in Afan Oromo 
• Translated  English version of Specialized legal aid guideline in Amharic 

Modes and Date of Delivery:

• The translator shall provide the translated documents in both printed (hard copy) and electronic (soft copy) formats.
• The delivery date shall not exceed ten (10) working days for each documents .

How To Apply

Qualified and Interested candidates are invited to submit their expression of interest, including Technical Proposal, Financial Proposal, and CV to kumsa@centerforjustice-ethiopia.org with CC to kalehiwot@centerforjustice-ethiopia.org. For further Information, please contact us at iisp2@yahoo.com  or 0913450729.

The deadline for the application is 08 October 2025.