UN WOMEN Jobs - 104261- Consultant to Reform the Victim’s Charter and Deve

Consultant to Reform the Victim’s Charter and Develop a Victims’ Rights Policy

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Kingston, JAMAICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

07-Feb-2022

Application Deadline :

28-Jan-22 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 calendar days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 calendar days between 7 February 2022 – 31 March 2022

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

In September 2017, the EU and the UN launched an ambitious joint partnership to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls worldwide. The Spotlight Initiative (SI) aims at mobilizing commitment of political leaders and contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Initiative aims at ending all forms of violence against women and girls, targeting those that are most prevalent and contribute to gender inequality across the world. The Spotlight Initiative will deploy targeted, large-scale investments in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific and the Caribbean, aimed at achieving significant improvements in the lives of women and girls. Guyana, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago are three of the countries in the Caribbean to benefit from this transformative initiative.

The overall vision of the Spotlight Initiative is that women and girls realize their full potential free from violence. The Spotlight Initiative will directly contribute to the achievement of three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goal 5 on Gender Equality, Goal 3 on good health and well-being and Goal 16 on inclusive and peaceful societies. The program will contribute to the elimination of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) through the creation of a broad partnership with Civil Society, Government, Private Sector, Media, among others; and, build a social movement of women, men, girls, boys and transgender people as champions and agents of change at the national, subnational and community levels. A specific focus will be on reaching and including in the program women and girls who are often isolated and most vulnerable to sexual & gender-based violence (SGBV) and harmful practices (HP) due to intersecting forms of discrimination.

The SI Country Programmes will use a multi-sectoral, multi-layered, interlinked community-centred approach to the implementation of the interventions on the following six Outcome Areas based on the socio-ecological model for addressing SGBV:

Pillar One: Legislative and Policy Frameworks
Pillar Two: Strengthening Institutions
Pillar Three: Prevention and Social Norms
Pillar Four: Delivery of Quality, Essential Services
Pillar Five: Data Availability and Capacities
Pillar Six: Supporting the Women’s Movement and CSO

Spotlight Jamaica

The SI in Jamaica will address three key priority areas within the overall focus on Family Violence against women and girls: 1) Child Sexual Abuse, 2) Intimate Partner Violence and 3) Discrimination against vulnerable groups.

The SI in Jamaica will be national in scope and targeted intervention will focus on the following four parishes: The Kingston Metropolitan Area (Kingston and St. Andrew), St. Thomas, Clarendon, and Westmoreland.

The Women’s Health Survey (2016) has identified a lifetime prevalence rate of 27.8% of physical and/or sexual violence against women aged 15 to 49 years by an intimate partner in Jamaica. This figure is slightly lower than the regional average of 30%. Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence against women, suggesting that women and girls are especially vulnerable to violence in the home by someone they know.

The Government of Jamaica has launched a Ten-year National Strategic Action Plan to eliminate Gender-Based Violence (NSAP-GBV) 2016-2026. This Plan focuses on the following five strategic priority areas: prevention, protection, and intervention, legal procedures, and protocols for data collection. The low status of women in society, power relations, and gender socializations, inaccessibility of legal services, gender insensitive policies, limited opportunities and institutional factors are some of the root causes of GBV. (National Strategic Action Plan to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence in Jamaica (2016-2026).

Targeting this objective will aid in meeting the Goals of the National 2030 Vision which is to empower Jamaicans to achieve their fullest potential, maintaining a secure and cohesive society, a prosperous economy and promoting a healthy natural environment.

This consultancy falls under Pillar 1 and seeks to support the Government of Jamaica in ensuring its legislative and policy frameworks are evidence-based, aligned with international human rights standards; tracking and monitoring family violence, including violence against women and girls.

Duties and Responsibilities

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The Consultant will collaborate with the Ministry of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport to review and assess the cost to implement the updated National Policy for Gender Equality (NPGE) to ensure alignment with NSAP-GBV and other relevant policies and legislation.

The Consultant will work with the Ministry of Justice and the Bureau of Gender Affairs to review and amend the Victim’s Charter and develop a Victims’ Rights Policy which will establish the rights of victims and survivors of gender-based and sexual violence, will facilitate their ability to access quality essential services and will promote enforcement and the accountability of duty bearers and will centre victim/survivor empowerment.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Consultant shall deliver the following results: -

Workplan and Inception Report including proposed methodology
Review the updated National Policy for Gender Equality (NPGE) and develop a cost for its implementation
Conduct a review of the Victim’s Charter and framework within the Ministry of Justice and make proposed amendments including introducing sections which will directly support the introduction and implementation of the Victims’ Rights Policy
Conduct stakeholder interviews and focus groups to determine the needs of victims and survivors and key and marginalized populations who experience violence, to ensure that the Victims’ Rights Policy is inclusive and responsive to the needs of the relevant groups
Conduct a Desk Review of Victims’ Rights Policies and highlight regional and international best practices for the protection of the rights of victims/survivors of gender-based and sexual violence
Continuously engage the Bureau of Gender Affairs and the Spotlight consultant working within the Bureau of Gender Affairs in the development of the policy
Develop a Victims’ Rights Policy with a costed, time-bound strategy for its implementation to respond to the needs of victims and survivors of family violence and gender-based violence.
Develop a Victims’ Rights Policy that:
- Guarantees support to victims for their healing and recovery, delivered in accordance with international standards and best practice.
- Enables the elimination of behaviors and attitudes of social service providers that are rooted in "victim-blaming" and insensitive, and which traumatize victims of violence who are being served in the essential service sectors
- Ensures that victims/survivors of gender-based violence remain central to a coordinated approach within and between the essential service sectors.
- Ensure that essential service providers are aware of the rights of victims and survivors
- Clarifies the expectations of victims/survivors whenever they come into contact with the essential service sectors.
- Make provisions for victims’/survivors’ redress and support options when rights are violated.
- Aligns with the Victim’s Charter, the NSAP-GBV and the NPGE

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative with direct reporting to the UN Women Planning and Coordination Specialist in Jamaica.

Competencies

Core Values / Guiding Principles:

Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organisation and the diversity of its staff; Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Core Competencies:

Results oriented: Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals, generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations.
Ethics and Values: Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity.
Organisational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
Working in Teams: Acting as a team player and facilitating teamwork.
Communicating Information and Ideas: Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively.
Self-management and Emotional intelligence: Creating synergies through self-control.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge of the social, cultural, legal and political context of Jamaica
Fluency in English and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
Ability to interact independently and as part of a team.
Technical knowledge of policies and programmes on gender equality and EVAWG
Analytical and report writing skills

Required Skills and Experience

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years’ experience working on gender equality and human rights, especially in the area of elimination of violence against women and girls (EVAWG)
Minimum of three (3) years’ demonstrated experience developing or assessing laws and policies or producing knowledge products and research on EVAWG
At least three years’ experience working within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Experience working in Jamaica and strong knowledge of the Jamaican context is preferred

Languages:

Fluency in English and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Education:

The Consultant should meet the following criteria:

Have a postgraduate qualification in relevant areas: Law, Human Rights, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Gender Studies or any similar field
A Bachelor’s Degree with at least five years’ demonstrated experience in relevant fields stated above will be accepted in lieu of a Post-Graduate degree.

LOCATION AND DURATION

The consultant is expected to be home-based and will work remotely, utilizing their own computer, internet, telephone and other equipment, as needed, to undertake the assignment.
Provisions will be made for physical meetings and visits to the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA), the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and the Ministry of Justice to facilitate the achievement of the desired outcomes, where necessary, and if possible, based on national COVID regulations.
The Consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 30 calendar days during the period 7 February 2022 – 31 March 2022

REMUNERATION

The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.
The remuneration for this contract type is an all-inclusive fee, the organization will not be liable for additional cost or benefits.

HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND COMMUNICATION:

The consultant must be equipped with a fully functional laptop, which must comfortably run Office 365 programs, using operating systems Microsoft Windows 10/11, or Mac OS X 10.11 or upward. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required.

REFERENCES:

Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

OTHER:

The consultant contracted will be required to sign a statement of confidentiality and freedom from any conflict of interest with potential future contractors with respect to the TORs and work that they will be delivering.

Note:

Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission. All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs. Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).