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DE RUEHMS #0097/01 0500852
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INFO RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000097 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL KWMN MU
SUBJECT: SECRETARY'S OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISUES GRANT PROPOSAL: 
OMAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS SELF-HELP CLINIC 
 
REF: STATE 012531 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Post proposes the use the Secretary's Office of 
Global Women's Issues grant to create an Oman Women's Rights 
Self-Help Clinic. The Clinic would assist Omani women in using 
their substantial, yet little-known rights, particularly in the 
area of personal status law involving marriage, divorce and 
citizenship for their children. This proposal follows the 
guidelines set forth reftel. 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) PROBLEM TO BE ADDRESSSED: Women in Oman are in need of an 
inexpensive and discreet venue to access information about their 
legal rights. Despite relatively strong rights set forth in Oman's 
Basic Law, recent statutes, and the U.N.'s Convention for the 
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)  standards (an 
agreement to which Oman is a party), women and even public 
officials have limited knowledge about these rights.  As a result, 
they often fall back on tradition or are guided by an influential 
individual's interpretation of Sharia. There are no legal clinics 
and no public or free legal resources for women in Oman. Recently, 
as a result of the Sultan's, other officials' and NGO's efforts to 
improve the status of women, the need for dissemination and 
application of women's rights information has been highlighted. 
Efforts to make this happen have failed or been delayed. Post 
expects this program to be the catalyst for action, demonstrating 
how to make these theoretical rights a reality. 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM: This proposal is designed 
to create a legal clinic supported through a multi-media platform 
to address the critical need of women and girls in the Sultanate of 
Oman to understand and exercise their significant but little-used 
legal rights. The program plan and management would be completed by 
a team of Omani and American legal and women's rights specialists 
who have extensive experience with similar programs, including 
initiating, developing, and training volunteers for self-help 
clinics in the U.S., researching and writing plain language legal 
rights guides and working with Omani women's groups, the courts, 
and government officials. 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 
 
 
 
(a) Phase One: Clinic Development. Six elements will be developed 
for preparation of opening the clinic: 
 
(i.) women's NGO capacity bQii.) recruitment of an advisory board, consultants, volunteers, 
staff and referral specialists; 
 
(iii.) legal research into developing plain language explanation of 
legal rights and process; 
 
(iv.) volunteer and staff training in legal rights, analysis, 
action plan development and counseling; 
 
(v.) establishing technology systems, telephone banks, and an 
office for outreach and support; 
 
(vi.) grant management and administrative support. 
 
 
 
(b) Phase Two: Foundation Building. Ten steps will be taken to 
ensure that the clinic is successful prior to opening day: 
 
(i.) develop a web site and other interactive media and 
communications tools; 
 
(ii.) ascertain the frequently asked questions from focus groups 
and NGOs; 
 
(iii.) initiate a free and paid media publicity campaign; 
 
(iv.) initiate secondary Internet/social media and poster/flier 
publicity campaign; 
 
(v.) meet with key government, judicial, legal, and healthcare 
leaders to explain the program and present sample legal education 
materials and action plans then respond to any feedback; 
 
(vi.) meet and develop an MOU with the Royal Omani Police on 
 
 
domestic violence issues; 
 
(vii.) test website and volunteers with sample inquiries; 
 
(viii.) develop a security plan to assure client confidentiality in 
all forms of record keeping; 
 
(ix.) develop relations with pro bono  attorneys and other 
organizations which will accept referrals; 
 
(x.) carry out speaking engagements to Omani Women's Organizations 
and other civil societies/NGOs. 
 
 
 
(c) Phase Three: Initiate Operations: 
 
(i.) obtain free and paid publicity using sample statements of 
rights and action plans to both highlight the program and educate 
the public; 
 
(ii.) engage social media; 
 
(iii.) opQ a public event highlighting telephone 
services and empowering nature of self-help approach; 
 
(iv.) launch a website highlighting interactive features and 
ability to download action plans, FAQs, links to other resources, 
and summaries of legal rights and key statutes; 
 
(v.) continue training in law and counseling for volunteer lawyers 
and lay persons using actual cases received by phone and via web 
site and social media; 
 
(vi.) continue developing research, action plans, and website 
content; 
 
(vii.) recruit women who are trained in the law but are stay at 
home mothers to take cases and advise other volunteers remotely; 
 
(viii.) recruit trained mediators. 
 
 
 
(d) Phase Four: Operation. In the final phase the project will: 
 
(i.) measure and evaluate inquiries and quality of the information 
given, as well as success rate of cases using the self-help 
approach; 
 
(ii.) prepare and distribute statistical reports on types of 
initial inquiries/contacts and results; 
 
(iii.) meet with government and NGOs working on lectures and 
general women's education to report on needs to be addressed; 
 
(iv.) evaluate status of referrals to mediation and pro bono 
attorneys; 
 
(v.) prepare program, administrative, and fiscal reports for State 
Department review. 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) BUDGET:  The total amount requested is $99,750 which is 
broken down as follows: (1) Salaries for clinical consultant and 
trainer, program manager/legal specialist, Omani women's-rights 
legal expert, paralegal, technology consultant, material 
developer/translator, legal research and editor, and legal rights 
counselors: $70,300; (2) Administrative costs including office 
supplies, Internet and telephone service, and technology: $6,500; 
(3) Publication costs: $14,100; (4) Seminars, trainings, public 
meetings and material distribution, including lodging and travel 
expenses: $8,850.  Further details available upon request. 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) DESCRIPTION OF RECIPIENT ORGANIZATION: GULF-AMERICAN LEGAL 
EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP INC.: The Gulf American Legal Partnership is 
dedicated to advancing legal education and reform in the Middle 
East and globally. It has extensive experience with rule of law, 
judicial reform, economic development, and educational exchange and 
training programs, includQrships with foreign 
universities and judicial training centers and design of 
innovative, multi-function, community resource centers. The Gulf 
American Legal Education Partnership is co-owned by Massachusetts 
attorneys Geraldine Heavey and Joseph McDonough. Gulf American 
Legal Education was created to assist the judiciary and legal 
systems in the MENA region. It is committed to helping judges and 
 
 
other legal professionals become more independent, more confident, 
and more dedicated to modern rule of law principles while meeting 
the obligations of the global economy and internationally accepted 
human rights standards. Dr. McDonough has worked on various State 
Department MEPI programs. Both Dr. McDonough and Dr. Heavey live in 
Oman. 
Schmierer