TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTORS/ CONSULTANTS
PART I
Title of Assignment
Protection of sexual exploitation and abuse consultancy
Section
ESARO Child Protection
Location
Home, with travel to Kenya, Burundi, Somalia and/or South Sudan (TBC)
Duration
3 months (over a 5 month period, from the start of the consultancy)
Start date
February 2017
July 2017
Background and Justification
Since 2015, the increase in the number of reported cases of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by UN peacekeepers and non-UN forces against children in Central African Republic (CAR) prompted an urgent need to scale-up UNICEF’s SEA prevention and response capacity. Recently, reported cases of SEA in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, and in other contexts, underline the need for an organization-wide approach to SEA. Moreover, in December 2015, an independent review of SEA by international peacekeeping forces in CAR (the ‘CAR Panel Report’) found a UN system-wide failure to respond to SEA, including in the provision of victim assistance to affected children. An inter-agency SEA Working Group in which UNICEF is actively involved, has been convened by the UN Special Coordinator on SEA and tasked with the implementation of the CAR Panel report recommendations.
In response, in July 2016, the UNICEF Office of the Executive Director allocated funds to mitigate and respond to SEA targeting eight (8) priority countries in Africa. In the Eastern and Southern Africa Region, three (3) countries have been identified as states with active or protracted conflict, or other acute crisis, including where peacekeeping missions are present, and where few, if any, services are available. These countries include Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan:
- Burundi is not considered as a country with armed conflict per se and therefore does not come under the formal Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) and has not signed any Action Plan to prevent and end grave violations. However, in response to the sharp increase of alleged grave child rights violations, the Burundi Country Office Child Protection section has put in place a monitoring and reporting mechanism on the six grave Child Rights violations to which key child protection partners are contributing. Despite the challenging security context, this provides UNICEF with an opportunity for systematic gathering of accurate, timely and objective information on how the current crisis is affecting boys and girls in multiple ways including on sexual exploitation and abuse. UNICEF is also an active member of the coordination of the GBV sub-sector which allows the section to triangulate information and identify appropriate actions for advocacy and response for children.
- In Somalia reported cases of sexual exploitation and abuse including by AMISOM forces, prompted the UNICEF CO to take a number of steps to address emerging programming requirements and scale up victim assistance, including immediate response and during the investigation process. Conflict and political instability over recent decades has weakened governmental authority and the justice system is weak. Mechanisms for child protection are extremely limited. The lack of a framework for law and order places children in exploitative and abusive environments. During the first half of 2016, the Monitoring and reporting mechanism has already verified and documented a total of 988 incidents of grave violations, which accounts for over two-thirds of what was documented in 2015. Accountability systems are weak and in some places non-existent.
- In South Sudan, since the recent outbreak of violence in Juba, sexual violence has spiked. These incidents are largely occurring in the context of women trying to meet the basic survival needs of their families, which forces them to leave the Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites and walk through highly militarized areas to access nearby markets, mirroring similar patterns seen in Bentiu and Malakal since early 2014.Many of the most recent incidents have reportedly involved multiple perpetrators in uniform and seem to be ethnically targeted.
The Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Task Force in the Republic of South Sudan was initially established in 2007 in what was then Southern Sudan, then restructured in 2011 in the newly independent South Sudan co-chaired by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GoRSS) and UNMISS. At the request of the SRSG, co-chairing by UNMISS was discontinued in December 2014, and PSEA Task Force responsibilities were handed back to the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) who then re-established the PSEA Task Force in February 2016, designating UNFPA and UN Women as PSEA Task Force co-leads. UNICEF has been a consistent participant however the Task Force has seen long periods of inactivity.
UNICEF South Sudan Country Office has designated focal points on PSEA and taken ad hoc initiatives on training some field level staff and partner staff but there is yet to be an established mechanism widely known by staff. Allegations of SEA involving humanitarian workers have emerged, particularly in PoC sites, however incidents have been reported anonymously and limited action has been taken. UNICEF maintains a robust GBV prevention and response programme supporting projects in six (6) counties and leading on the coordination of GBV in the Upper Nile. These initiatives support the implementation of response services for all forms of GBV, including SEA.
Within these contexts, UNICEF is seeking a consultant to review and assess UNICEF’s capacity to address protection from sexual exploitation and abuse by UN staff members, personnel of entities that have entered into a cooperative arrangement with the UN, and members of national military forces under or associated with a UN or other international peacekeeping or humanitarian mandate and to provide victim assistance in the target UNICEF programme countries of Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan.
Scope of Work
Goal and Objective
The objective of the consultancy is to support the ESARO and targeted UNICEF Country Offices of Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan to review and strengthen existing systems and interventions and to develop and roll out guidance for enhanced protection of sexual exploitation and abuse systems and interventions.
The consultant will provide technical assistance to Burundi, South Sudan and Somalia COs and in close consultation and partnership with relevant parties at country level, will assess existing SEA prevention and response systems, services, and referral mechanisms, and develop a guidance document to ensure that the practice in country is aligned with UNICEF policies on SEA. The guidance should identify the critical actions required to prevent and respond to SEA, and propose recommendations for improving the system, referral mechanism, and programming strategies particularly tailored to the contexts of Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan. The consultant will also roll out an initial training/orientation on SEA on based on the guidance document, and develop an action plan articulating how the recommendations will be implemented.
The provision of technical assistance to humanitarian contexts and significant changes in existing CO in emergencies is a key deliverable for which the Child Protection Section is accountable. Given the rapid deterioration of the situation in South Sudan and the continuing conflict in Somalia and Burundi, the reported cases of sexual exploitation and abuse, and the limitations in the current capacity to prevent and respond, support to the identified Country Offices for conceptualization and roll out of enhanced systems and interventions is critically needed.
Activities and Tasks
Under the supervision of the ESAR Child Protection Specialist, and the overall guidance of the Regional Child Protection Adviser, the consultant will support the development of practical guidance to COs on effective strategies and approaches to address SEA focusing both on prevention and response. Specifically the consultant will undertake the following:
- Develop an inception report articulating the proposed methodology and approach to meeting the project objectives, including a short literature review of existing resources, guidance and reports as relevant to PSEA at the Global, Regional and Country level
- Consult with UNICEF staff, key organizations and partners working in the field of SEA prevention and response to understand and analyze the existing systems and services available in Country, including referral mechanisms, and the critical country specific challenges and gaps
- In collaboration with identified focal points in the selected countries, and based on the desk review, and the consultations, draft an initial report identifying critical actions required to prevent and respond to SEA, and propose recommendations for improving the system, referral mechanism, and programming strategies particularly tailored to the contexts of Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan to ensure enhanced prevention and response at Country level, including in the areas of victim assistance and access to services, aligned with UNICEF policies on SEA.
- Based on Country and Regional Office feedback, finalize the guidance document. The document should prevention and response actions and include practical steps and tools to measure the implementation of SEA risk mitigation and prevention initiatives and quality victim assistance.
- Roll out a training/orientation on SEA and the guidance document
- Develop an action plan for each Country describing how the recommendations will be implemented
- Present the programme guidance, and action plan to ESARO Child Protection team and other relevant parties in Nairobi, Kenya.
The consultant is expected to draw from existing good practices, and encourage and support cross-regional and cross-country learning throughout the project.
Methodology
Preparation and implementation phase
The consultant will review key resources and consult with UNICEF staff, and partners working in the field of SEA prevention and response, as well as other key UN agencies. The consultant will then draft a first report identifying critical dimensions, trends, key learning’s and recommendations to COs to better prevent and protect children from SEA. Based on findings and feedback, the consultant will develop practical programme guidance on effective strategies and approaches to address SEA focusing both on prevention and response, within a broader framework of addressing violence against children, and an action plan articulating how the recommendations will be implemented in each country covered under the project.
Reporting phase
The consultant will prepare a programme guidance and executive summary. The draft report will be shared with the respective COs and ESARO Child Protection Section for review and comments and thereafter, finalized.
Work relationship
The consultant will work primarily with ESARO Child Protection in Emergency Specialist, and UNICEF Child Protection Focal Points in Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan, in close coordination with human resources focal points and management teams, but also in close consultation with other critical UN agencies.
Outputs/deliverables
The duration of the consultancy is approximately 3 months over a 5 month period, from the start of the consultancy.
Activity
Deliverables
Duration (estimated)
Station
Timeline
- Develop an inception report articulating proposed methodology, approach and timeline, including a short literature review of existing resources, guidance and reports as relevant to PSEA.
Inception report
10 days
Home
6 March (includes review/ feedback time)
- Undertake consultations with UNICEF staff and partners working in the field of SEA prevention and response
Summary analysis from consultative process
20 days
Home
By 10 April (includes coordination time)
- Draft programme guidance identifying critical dimensions, trends, key learning’s and recommendations to better prevent and protect children from SEA within the broader framework of addressing violence against children.
Include responsibilities, and complaints, reporting, and investigation procedures
Programme guidance draft document
20 days
(includes review/ feedback time)
Home
By 8th May
- Finalize programme guidance, and executive summary, incorporating feedback from UNICEF and partners.
Final programme guidance
5 days
Home
By 2nd June (includes review/ feedback time)
- Roll out a training/orientation on the guidance and develop the action plans for each 3 countries (remotely for Somalia)
Training evaluation and action plans
15 days
Home
By 3rd July (includes review/ feedback time)
- Present the programme guidance and action plans to UNICEF ESARO
Presentation of PSEA package
2 days
Nairobi
By 7th July
- Complete a final report articulating the project’s key achievements, lessons learnt, and recommended further actions
Final report
3 days
Home
By 15th July
Payment Schedule
Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of deliverables as follows:
- 1st payment (Inception report) 25 %
- 2nd payment (Programme guidance) 40 %
- 3rd payment (Final report) 35 %
Desired qualification, competencies, technical background and experience
- A minimum of eight years relevant professional work experience at national and international levels in development field, with a focus on women and children’s rights and violence prevention and response, in particular sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence and child protection.
- Advanced University Degree in social work, social sciences, political science, human rights law or other relevant field
- Experience in and knowledge of UNICEF’s activities and position on PSEA is an advantage.
- Proven success in developing and facilitating training and capacity-building activities on PSEA
- Experience developing complaints mechanisms as well as reporting and investigation procedures
- Proven research skills and demonstrated expertise in analysis and development of technical papers and reports as well as programmatic guidance related to violence against women and children, in particular sexual violence, gender and child protection. Published work an asset.
- Operational experience at country/regional level in the implementation of programming related to violence against women and children, sexual violence, gender, and child protection.
- Knowledge of current developments and activities in the inter-agency setting of the UN System and its partner organizations on PSEA. Extensive experience of working with UNICEF or other UN agencies
- Ability to work independently.
- Excellent analytical, communication, writing skills in English language. Working knowledge of French an asset
Administrative issues
The consultant will use own equipment (computer, digital voice recorder etc.) to produce deliverables. Office space will be provided in ESARO and targeted COs of Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan as available and necessary.
Conditions
As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.
The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts.
Reference documents
Available on-line
- Secretary-General’s Bulletin on Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, 2003 (ST/SGB/2003/13)
- UN General Assembly Resolution 62/214. United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and Related Personnel, 2007 (A/RES/62/214)
- Report of an Independent Review on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by International Peacekeeping Forces in the Central African Republic, 2015
- Report of the Secretary General on Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, 2016 (A/70/729)
- Security Council Resolution 2272, 2016
Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.
More Information
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