International Consultancy - Mapping of communication and visibility materials on Violence Against Children( VAC) and women and Harmful practices in Eastern and Southern Africa Region

Consultant Programme & Policy

Contract

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Title of Assignment

Mapping of the existing communication and visibility materials on violence against boys, girls and women and harmful practices ( child marriage and FGM) in ESAR with a focus on BNLES+C countries

Section

Child Protection

Location

Remote assignment

Duration

4 months

Start/End date

From:16-Jun-23

To: 16-Oct-23

Background and Justification

Violence is a serious and life-threatening human rights’ violation for many girls, boys and women across all contexts and settings in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). Across the region, rates of sexual, physical and emotional violence for children are among the highest in the Region:

• More than 1 in 5 girls (23.2%) and 1 in 10 boys (10.5%) experience sexual violence before reaching 18 years.
• More than half of boys (53.8%) and 4 in 10 girls (40%) have experienced physical violence in their childhood. Nearly 18% of girls and 20% of boys report experiencing emotional violence in childhood.

Violence against boys, girls and women often occur together and have shared multiple risk factors, including harmful social norms that condone men’s use of violence. For example, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Violence Against Children (VAC) tend to co-occur within families and understanding these intersections can and should inform programming. Prevention and response of VAC and Gender Based Violence (GBV) should be strongly linked to address the underlying gender inequalities that perpetuate many forms of violence.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures to contain and respond to the pandemic have further increased the risks of physical, sexual and emotional violence against girls, boys and children. While risks have increased, the capacity of formal and informal child protection systems to respond have been limited. The services to prevent, report, respond, care and support were restricted due to the current emergency or moved to remote support. The child helplines in the ESA Region have noted an increased in the number of contacts reporting violence against children and requiring support.

Towards the end of 2021, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office embarked on identifying collective programmatic focus areas across the programme sections. Child Protection prioritized to end violence against boys, girls and women based on the high prevalence of sexual, physical and emotional violence in the region. While the implementation of ending violence against boys, girls and women is across the 21 UNICEF Country Offices, the Child Protection Section prioritized the following countries for phase one of the its implementation: Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa and the Comoros (BNLES+C).

Recognizing the fact that various communication outreach interventions including campaigns are rolled out each year through various regional and international events such as: 16 days of Gender Based Activism; Day of the African Child; International Day of Zero tolerance to FGM; World Children’s Day etc, little is known or shared (some country offices have done campaign analyses) about their effectiveness and relevance. It is under this umbrella, UNICEF is looking to recruit a consultant to: conduct a mapping of the existing communication and visibility materials used for advocacy campaigns and other initiatives, both in the traditional and digital media, assessing their communication and advocacy intended objectives, the type of violence being addressed, their reach, the type of champions mobilized in the region. Furthermore, the hired consultant will be expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the communication and visibility materials reach, effectiveness in terms of recall, relevance and highlight the gaps that need to be addressed. Lastly, the hired consultant will be expected to conduct an analysis of partner / NGO campaigns. This is vital given the ending VAC campaigning environment across parts of Southern Africa is vibrant and we want future UNICEF campaigns to add value, not replicate.

Scope of Work

1. Goal and Objective*****: *Under the supervision of the Child Protection specialist the consultant will carry out a mapping exercise

The main objective for the assignment is to conduct a mapping of the existing violence against children and harmful practices (child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation) communication and visibility materials. Conduct a secondary data analysis of the type of communication materials have reached the intended their intended audiences, key communication assets have been re-disseminated in the digital space creating a multiple effect, key messages/campaign tags are recalled by audiences are effective, outline the gaps and draft a roadmap with clear areas that need to be improved. The road map will be used to develop a Communication and visibility strategy for the ESA Region. The purpose is to define the scope of work and requirements for conducting a mapping of communication and visibility materials on violence against children and women, child marriage, and female genital mutilation (FGM) in East and Southern Africa.

The objectives of this assignment are to:

• Identify existing communication and visibility materials on violence against children and women, child marriage, and FGM in East and Southern Africa (with a focus on the BNLES+ C countries) and beyond (especially is there are notable campaigns with strongly documented evaluation and successes).
• Assess the tactics and tools used for the roll out of the communication materials including quality and relevance of the materials in relation to the cultural and linguistic context of the region.
• Conduct an analysis of partner / NGO campaigns
• Assess the typology of champions mobilized for communication outreach and in case evaluations are available by organizations/agencies the content creators, assess their effectiveness in terms of engagement produced and conversations generated.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for the development of new communication materials focusing on de-normalizing violence, promote reporting and galvanize support of regional and in-country champions that can better address the communication and visibility needs related to the targeted issues.
• Identify missed opportunities in terms of influencers not championed to date with the aim of providing recommendation for future regional and in-country communication and visibility strategies.

2. Activities and Tasks:

• Conduct a thorough review of existing communication and visibility materials related to violence against children and women, child marriage, and FGM in East and Southern Africa.
• Develop a matrix to capture the key features of the identified materials, including their quality, relevance, and target audience.
• Analyze the gaps and opportunities for the development of new communication and visibility materials that are culturally and linguistically appropriate to the region.
• Provide recommendations for the development of new advocacy and behavior change campaigns including the most appropriate format and channels for dissemination.

Work relationships: Under the supervision of the child protection specialist, the consultant will be expected to engage with the country offices, Regional CSO partners and other Regional Office sections (such as Health, Education and Social Protection etc) for consultation purposes to inform the mapping exercise and report generation.

1. Deliverables:

The following deliverables are expected from the consultant:

Deliverables

Duration

(Estimated # of days or months)

Timeline

Schedule of payment

Inception report of the assignment that outlines in brief the process and methodology that will be used to conduct the mapping exercise including a detailed work plan outlining key milestones and deadlines.

21 days

June 2023

10%

A report on the mapping of communication and visibility materials on violence against children and women, child marriage, and FGM in East and Southern Africa including an analysis of partner / NGO campaigns.

one month

July 2023

10%

A matrix that captures the key features of the identified materials, including their quality, relevance, and target audience

One month

August 2023

20%

Recommendations for the development of new communication and visibility materials, including the most appropriate format and channels for dissemination.

One month

September 2023

20%

A communication strategy to guide ending violence child marriage and FGM movement building and social change agenda in the BNLES+ C and the rest of the Region.

(not exceeding 15 pages)

One month

September 2023

20%

A brief report on the key observations made during the assignment to inform UNICEF ESARO on the areas for improvement.

(Not exceeding 20 pages)

Insert estimated duration

October 2023

20%

Total

100%

Desired competencies, technical background, and experience:

Academic qualifications:

• Advanced University degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Management or equivalent professional work experience in the communication area, combined with a university degree in a related field

Experience:

• Over and above 8 years of relevant international and regional experience in planning, monitoring, evaluation and child protection.
• Strong data analysis skills and experience in strengthening child protection communication and visibility in development and humanitarian settings.
• Proven ability to effectively manage relationships with media representatives and write clear and concise communication materials.
• Experience in working in East and Southern Africa is a strong advantage.
• Experience in coordination and management of multiple partners.
• Previous work experience with the UN and other development organizations is an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Required language: English
• French and Portuguese will be an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

Competencies: list the competencies that the consultant should have for the assignment.

1. Builds and maintains partnerships
2. Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
3. Drive to achieve results for impact
4. Innovates and embraces changes
5. Manages ambiguity and complexity
6. Thinks and acts strategically
7. Works collaboratively with others

Administrative Issues

• The supervisor for this consultant will avail all the relevant resources required in the data analysis.
• The consultant will also be expected to draw a list of documents that are needed in this assignment and liaise with the supervisor to conclude the list of documentation for the desk review.
• The consultant is expected to be home based. The working hours will be between 10 am to 5:30 pm Nairobi time.
• Bi-weekly progress meetings will be scheduled throughout the contract duration.
• Travels to the Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa and Comoros will be expected. All travel will be by most economical fare and reimbursement will be as per UNICEF policy. Depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions for which the UNICEF office would cover subsistence allowances and travel costs. If the consultant is required to quarantine while traveling, UNICEF will pay for the quarantine if not organized by the host country.
• Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
• The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract.

Conditions

• No office space/equipment will be provided.
• Official travel is by most economical fare and reimbursement as per UNICEF policy,
• As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment 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 advances purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.
• Individuals engaged under a consultancy contract will not be considered ‘staff members’ under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

Risks

The risks anticipated on this consultancy and some of the mitigation measures that will be put in place are as follows:

1. Communication breakdown: Misunderstandings and miscommunications between the consultant and the supervisor of this consultancy can lead to consultancy delays, additional costs, and even the termination of the contract. To mitigate this risk, the supervisor of this consultant will establish open lines of communication, set clear expectations, and ensure regular catch-up calls are scheduled for updates.
2. Resource availability: The consultant may face issues related to the availability of resources, including staff, and materials. To mitigate this risk, the supervisor of this consultant will avail all the available resources and will identify focal points from each country concerned to work with the consultant and accompany the process.

How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should apply online using the button below. As part of their application, candidates should provide:

1. A cover letter that specifies how you meet the desired competencies, technical background and experience (no more than 2 pages) 2. A short CV (no more than 4 pages) 3. A financial proposal that should include the daily rate and total fees in USD for the assignment. (Any application without a financial proposal will not be considered) 4. 3 Referees.

Apply now

Added 11 months ago - Updated 10 months ago - Source: unicef.org