Research Coordinator (International Consultant) to lead multi-country study on men’s perception of sexual and gender-based violence in Central Asia

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Background

The Spotlight Initiative is a global, multi-year partnership between European Union and United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030.

Funded by the European Union, the Initiative is responding to all forms of violence against women and girls, with a particular focus on domestic and family violence, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and harmful practices, femicide, trafficking in human beings and sexual and economic (labour) exploitation. Further information can be found at https://www.spotlightinitiative.org

The Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme for Central Asia and Afghanistan (SI regional programme) managed from Kazakhstan in cooperation with all participating countries will harness the collective expertise, experiences, challenges, and energy of gender equality advocates from the five Central Asian countries, as well as Afghanistan. Although scarce data is available on violence against women (VAW) there is a clear need for more and better qualitative data, including on prevalence of VAW. To effectively prevent VAW it is important to understand underlying causes and design targeted interventions based on evidence and informed decisions. The information on male perpetration of violence against women globally has been limited by differences in research design and methods, making comparisons of findings between settings difficult. Excepting Kazakhstan and to some extent the study on men’s attitudes towards SGBV and gender equality in Kyrgyzstan, the majority of SGBV data in the region does not result in internationally comparable data given the varied methodologies used.

The Spotlight Initiative Pillar 5 aims at closing the data gap on SGBV-related issues. Data gaps on many of the gender-related SDG Indicators is an overarching challenge in Central Asia. Limited knowledge remains on men’s perceptions regarding gender equality and SGBV – assumptions are regularly made, but activists seldom distinguish assumptions between age groups and seldom understand the reasoning behind how/if perceptions result in violence, and what are the root causes of these perceptions.

Although data on the scope and scale of violence against women and girls is context specific, men are the primary perpetrators. To prevent violence, it is vital to understand men’s perpetration — how many men use violence against women, what types of violence they use, what factors are associated with their use of violence against women and why some men use such violence while others do not. Violence against women reinforces gender hierarchies and power imbalances between women and men within families and communities. To deepen understanding of the meaning and causes of men’s violence against women it is important to generate knowledge on how masculinities (identities and patterns of practices that shape gender norms for men) relate to men’s perceptions and perpetration of violence against women to prevent it. The study is premised on the well-documented hypothesis that violence against women is a manifestation of unequal gender relations and harmful manifestations of hegemonic masculinities governed by patriarchal beliefs, institutions, and systems. However, it is important to highlight that not all men are abusive and prone to exercise violence. In that sense, it will be also crucial to explore in what way men support gender equality and stand against SGBV.

The Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme for Central Asia and Afghanistan will invest in conducting analysis of men’s perceptions of sexual and gender-based violence against women, as well as developing a regional research report with research survey findings in creating accessible and user-friendly manner graphics of the research results; and the degree to which the Central Asian countries are achieving the SDG targets on SGBV. This type of studies is planned for the first time in Central Asia.

To complete this assignment, the SI regional programme will hire a Research Coordinator (****International Consultant level) to lead a multi-country research on men’s perceptions of sexual and gender-based violence against women. The Research Coordinator will work closely and supervise a Data Analyst and a service provider (company). The latter will be responsible for research tools translation, testing and pilot, and data collection in each CA country.

The SI regional programme will form a Steering Committee to consult and receive feedback at each stage of the research. The Steering Committee will include representatives from the SI regional programme team, SI country programme teams, Regional Civil Society Reference Group, UN Country Teams, representatives of national women’s machinery and other stakeholders from CA countries to the extent possible. The Research Coordinator will provide technical and some logistics support to the Steering Committee work.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the SI regional programme Project Officer (SI Project Officer), the Research Coordinator is expected to prepare and guide the whole process on survey methodology and development of research report on men’s perceptions of sexual and gender-based violence against women, in the five countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. Efforts will be made to include Afghanistan in some of regional dialogues, where it is relevant to partners[1]. The research is aimed to provide cross-country comparable data on men’s perpetration of violence for the first time in Central Asia and deepen the understanding of the underlying drivers of violence. The Research Coordinator will use as a reference the Toolkit for Replicating the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence: Understanding Why Some Men Use Violence against Women and How We Can Prevent and will customize where necessary to the regional and national contexts following the recommendation on adaptation. In the context of this research, it is recommended that the Research Coordinator uses the most specific and technically accurate terms for different acts of violence rather than grouping all forms of violence together under ‘violence against women’ or ‘gender-based violence’.

Violence against women shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following:[2]

  1. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, harmful practices limited to early marriage, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation.
  2. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, practices harmful to women limited to bride kidnapping, trafficking in women and forced prostitution.
  3. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.

The multi-country study of men’s perception of sexual and gender-based violence against women in Central Asia will be conducted for the purpose of:

  1. better understanding men’s use of different forms of violence against women and girls specifically, violence and abuse in family, intimate partner violence, battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, non-spousal violence, harmful practices such as early marriage and bride kidnapping, trafficking and femicide at country level in the Central Asia region and Afghanistan[3];
  2. assessing men’s own experience of violence as well as their perpetration of violence against other men and how it relates to the perpetration of violence against women;
  3. identifying the factors associated with men’s perpetration of different forms of violence against women;
  4. identifying how masculinities (identities and patterns of practices that shape gender norms for men) relate to men’s perceptions and perpetration of violence against women;
  5. identifying how to better engage men and boys in prevention of gender- based violence (GBV) and make long-term impact on behavioural patterns and social norms;
  6. producing knowledge to inform evidence-based policies and programmes including programmes on men engagement to prevent violence against women;
  7. adopting and developing regional context research tools for further use in the investigation of violence against women and masculinities;
  8. identifying the degree to which the Central Asian countries are achieving and implementation of the SDG targets on SGBV

Duties and Responsibilities

The Research Coordinator will be responsible for the following tasks:

Develop a work plan and timeline for study implementation based on the timeframe provided by UN Women.

Conduct a literature review on men’s perception and behavioural attitudes on gender-based violence against women, which will guide and inform the research and the contextual analysis in each of the countries to understand gendered power relations to identify the gaps in knowledge (thematic and geographical), the conditions in which masculinities and gender power relations evolve (regional characteristics and country specificities). Compile a repository of the reviewed and use documents and store them in electronic format. Documents should be submitted together with other deliverables. Data Analyst will assist the Research Coordinator on literature review. It is suggested but not limited to the following options for conducting a literature review of violence against women and masculinities research:

  • Violence against women:
    • existing theoretical approaches to violence against women, particularly related to gender and power;
    • review of previously conducted violence against women studies (this can include regional studies but should focus on country-specific data and research).
  • Masculinities:
    • existing theoretical approaches to masculinities;
    • review of previously conducted global and regional wide research around masculinities (not limited to violence);
    • review of previously conducted global and regional wide research on the link between masculinities and violence.
  • Gender social norms:
    • review of literature on gendered social norms and expectations of men and women (this should include descriptions of the context-specific, dominant gender regimes);
    • review of research on gender and other social inequalities (this can include research conducted around other axes of social inequalities that are linked to gender inequalities if relevant to the focus of the research).

Adapt the research methodology using the Toolkit for Replicating the UN Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence: Understanding Why Some Men Use Violence Against Women and How We Can Prevent It, including methods of data collection (quantitative household/individual surveys, qualitative life history interviews), ethical protocols, sampling design, selection of respondents, interviewing strategies, data collection in the field (considering COVID-19 situation), data analysis methods and reporting. Data Analyst will assist and develop research analysis plan and tabulation plan. It is crucial that the methodology is constructed in the way to produce comparative results across all five countries, with higher level of validity across the larger regional and global contexts. Together with the Data Analyst, the research outline should be developed, discussed, and approved by UN Women and Steering Committee. The following areas should be covered, but not limited to this:

  • role men play in the prevalence of gender-based violence, why perpetrators commit such acts;
  • the prevalence and frequency of men’s perpetration of different types of violence against women;
  • men’s own experiences of different types of violence, including violence as children as well as their perpetration of violence against other men and how it relates to the perpetration of violence against women;
  • the relation between masculinities and the prevalence of sexual violence (how the identified forms of masculinities enable violence).

In designing the qualitative study, it is recommended to adopt the qualitative component of the UN Multi-country Study methodology, which consists of in-depth ‘life history’ interviews with two groups of men:

  • gender-equitable men—those who displayed non-dominating or non-traditional notions of masculinity;
  • men who were known to perpetrate physical or sexual violence against a female partner and who exhibited more hegemonic masculine traits (such as beliefs around men’s authority over women, control and power within society). The following topics are suggested to be considered:
    • What influences across the life course operate to shape the violent behaviour of some men. At what stages in the life course are different types of violence expressed by men who are violent towards women and in what ways? What are the relationships among the use of violence and attitudes towards and practices of gender equity in other areas of these men’s lives?
    • Are there particular differences in the life histories, trajectories, and influences of these two groups of men and what does this tell us about how to encourage men to be more gender equitable and non-violent?
    • Converging factors associated with violence perpetration (rural/urban, age, poverty rate, vulnerability, regional diversity, economic specialization of the region, gender indicators etc).
    • The diversity of men’s perceptions: gender equality, experiences of violence (how men choose to stand for gender equality).
    • How the initiatives and programmes on ending violence against women can integrate the findings of the study to better address GBV and involve men and boys in this issue (good practices).

Supervise qualitative and quantitative data collection in partnership with the Data Analyst:

  • service provider will conduct quantitative research involving at least 1000 men per every country to ensure the representative and reliable data for national level.
  • service provider will conduct qualitative survey using in-depth interviews, focus groups, observations, expert interviews (to be discussed and agreed with Data Analyst, Research Coordinator, and UN Women). The range of the participants of the study should include but not limited to the key stakeholders, male champions (including religious leaders - desirable), and youth networks, as well as perpetrators, survivors and regional experts.

Lead data analysis and prepare research report in accordance with the approved research report outline . The Data Analyst will support this process and in particular will be leading the validation of collected data by the company, analyse data, and prepare key findings based on quantitative and qualitative survey results.

Organise regional validation workshop(s) with the key SI regional programme partners and stakeholders, including but not limited to civil society, academia, governments, UN Country Teams, Spotlight Initiative country programme teams, international organizations. Efforts will be made to include Afghanistan in some of these regional dialogues, where it is relevant to partners.

  • to present and discuss the study findings and recommendations;
  • to enhance government and non-government institutions use of data and evidence on GBV, with the UN System supporting key stakeholders and the Central Asia Alliance to use on-going Global SDG monitoring processes.

Develop a final research report with recommendations and supporting documents Data Analyst will be supporting the whole process, in particular compiling all materials for a proper documentation of survey stages, including but not limited to documents reviewed during the research, translated methodology, sample of questionnaires, interviewers and filed workers’ training manuals, information sheet for community leaders, respondent’s information sheet, informed consent sheet, interviewer’s progress sheet, ethical and safety guidelines for research etc.

Review key messages of the research findings, conclusions, and recommendations prepared in collaboration with Data Analyst for visual products (social media cards, infographics, etc.).

It is expected that the Research Coordinator will work from home and will conduct online consultations with the assignment team: SI regional programme team including UN Women, Data Analyst, service provider on data collection, Steering Committee, etc. The Research Coordinator will be supported by the Data Analyst at all research stages as well as selected company to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The communication will take place through emails, meetings in MS Teams, Zoom and other platforms.

All results must be submitted within the specified timeline (see IV) and approved by the SI Project Officer.

Deliverables and timeline

This research should be completed between of January – May 2022. The Research Coordinator is responsible for delivering the following outputs:

Deliverables

Deadlines

1. Detailed workplan and timeframe for the assignment submitted and approved by UN Women

By 21 January 2022

Summary of literature review on men’s perception and behavioural attitudes on gender-based violence against women submitted and approved by UN Women

By 28 January 2022

3. Adopted research methodology, using the Toolkit for Replicating the UN Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence: Understanding Why Some Men Use Violence Against Women and How We Can Prevent It, including methods of data collection (quantitative household/individual surveys, qualitative life history interviews), ethical protocols, sampling design, selection of respondents, interviewing strategies, data collection in the field (considering COVID-19 situation), data analysis methods and reporting.

By 14 February 2022

4. Draft research report with preliminary findings based on literature review, results of quantitative and qualitative study submitted and approved. Approved by UN Women and Steering Committee research outline.

By 25 April 2022

5. Preparation and facilitation of validation national and regional workshops (agenda, PPTs, summary report, etc.) to discuss research findings with key partners in the CA countries and the Spotlight Initiative partners

By 16 May 2022

6. Final research report incorporating all comments and recommendations from validation workshop and UN Women feedback, submitted and approved in English, including appendices, tables, interview schedules, interview questions, case studies, etc.

By 20 May 2022

7. Revised key messages on visual products.

By 20 May 2022

8. Report on the consultancy assignment submitted and approved.

By 20 May 2022

Support of the Research Coordinator by UN Women:

The Research Coordinator will work under the direct supervision of the SI Project Officer and in close cooperation with partners. The SI Project Officer will ensure coordination and collaboration with UN country offices in the region to share experiences and knowledge. Together with the SI Project Officer, the Research Coordinator will agree on the scope of work, deadlines, and a detailed work plan for the assignment.

Financial arrangements:

Payment will be made upon submission and approval of the deliverables, and certification by the SI Project Officer that the services have been satisfactorily performed. The Research Coordinator’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the work performed.

Payment for services will be made in three tranches:

  • 30% will be paid for the provision of deliverables 1-3, outlined in the table above;
  • 30% will be paid for the provision of deliverable 4, outlines in the table above;

40% for the provision of deliverables 5-8 and the acceptance of work by the SI Project Officer

[1] The SI Regional Programme primarily focuses on the five countries of Central Asia and brings in Afghanistan at relevant times for sharing of experiences, learnings, and best practices. The programme has therefore been designed to primarily address the needs of Central Asia and has identified those specific areas in which a Central Asia/Afghanistan dialogue would be mutually beneficial.

[2] Article 2, UN Declaration on the elimination of VAW, 1993

[3] The SI Regional Programme primarily focuses on the five countries of Central Asia and brings in Afghanistan at relevant times for sharing of experiences, learnings, and best practices. The programme has therefore been designed to primarily address the needs of Central Asia and has identified those specific areas in which a Central Asia/Afghanistan dialogue would be mutually beneficial.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
  • Research skills (conducting qualitative and quantitative research)
  • Effective Communication and coordination
  • Inclusive Collaboration

Required Skills and Experience

The selection process of the Research Coordinator will be based on the following criteria:

Education:

  • Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent, PhD is an advantage) in gender studies, psychology, sociology or related field.

Experience:

  • At least 7 years of experience in developing of research methodologies, quantitative and qualitative research methods, data analysis and report writing in the fields of masculinities, GBV, psycho-social fields, gender equality, women’s rights.
  • At least 3 years of experience in masculinities, power and gender, behavioural attitudes on gender-based violence against women research.
  • Previous experience on developing policy recommendations and programs using data and evidence on gender equality, social norms, behavioural changes and attitudes on GBV.
  • Experience working with UN agencies or other international organizations on similar issues in the field of gender equality and human rights is an asset.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required.

Evaluation process

Applicants must meet the above minimum qualification requirements, which will be included in the technical evaluation process in the future. The next stage of the evaluation process will be maintained by cumulative analysis methodology of the technical proposal (70%) and the financial proposal (30%) of the applicant.

Criteria

Maximum points

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent, PhD is an advantage) in gender studies, psychology, sociology or related field

50

Work experience

- At least 7 years of experience in developing of research methodologies, quantitative and qualitative research methods, data analysis and report writing in the fields of masculinities, GBV, psycho-social fields, gender equality, women’s rights (supporting materials or link to the site where the document is available to learn about the candidate’s experience)

180

- At least 3 years of experience in masculinities, power and gender, behavioural attitudes on gender-based violence against women research

130

- Previous experience on developing policy recommendations and programs using data and evidence on gender equality, social norms, behavioural changes and attitudes on GBV (supporting materials or link to the site where the document is available to learn about the candidate’s experience)

180

- Experience working with UN agencies or other international organizations on similar issues in the field of gender equality and human rights is an asset

140

Languages

English

20

Maximum total technical evaluation scoring (70%):

700

Technical evaluation criteria:

Only candidates, who will score at least 490 (70%) out of the maximum 700 points during the technical evaluation process, will be qualified for financial proposal *.

* Each candidate will be invited to submit consolidated financial proposal in USD (a ‘consolidated financial proposal’, which includes applicant’s all the expenses required to perform the assignment).

The financial proposals of technically qualified candidates will be requested and will be weighted in terms of selection points as per the following formula:

B = T + Clow / C x 300, where

T is a universal technical score awarded to the evaluation of the proposal (only those proposals that pass 70% of the technical evaluation);

C is the financial proposal of the candidate; and

Clow is the lowest financial proposal among all evaluated candidates.

300 is the maximum financial point that can be obtained.

The successful candidate will have accumulated the highest aggregated point (technical and financial scoring).

Payment will be made only if the expected results will be achieved, agreed package of documents and reports provided without delay and approval by UN Women.

Application process:

All documents should be sent including:

1. CV and UN Women Personal History form (P-11), which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

2. A technical proposal describing how the expected assignment will be performed. The technical proposal should also include:

  • supporting materials or link(s) to documents, publications are available to learn about candidate's experience in research, especially in the field of masculinities, GBV, psycho-social fields, gender equality, women’s rights, and other related fields;

  • supporting materials or link(s) to documents, publications to learn about candidate’s experience in masculinities, power and gender, behavioural attitudes on gender-based violence against women research;

  • reference to the candidate's experience in developing policy recommendations and programs using data and evidence on gender equality, social norms, behavioural changes and attitudes on GBV;

  • reference to the candidate's experience with UN agencies or other international organizations on similar issues in the field of gender equality and human rights.

3. Financial proposal in USD, which includes all the costs and expenses that the Research Coordinator will have to fulfil all the tasks under this Terms of Reference. The Research Coordinator should also include the daily rate as lump sum in the submitted financial proposal.

Only candidates who have passed the preliminary selection will be informed. There might be an online interview conducted by UN Women.

Please note that the system will only allow one attachment, hence all supporting documents, e.g., P11 form, CV, technical and financial proposals must be scanned as one attachment. Applications without a completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further evaluation.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org