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.

Nigeria is simultaneously a country of origin, transit and destination for all streams of migration and for trafficking. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Migration Profile (2009) and the World Bank remittances report on Nigeria (2010), the country’s increasing out-migrating population ranges between 836,832 and 1,041,284. Although North America and Europe remain the largest receiving continents, countries within the ECOWAS sub-region also host a significant number of the migrant population from Nigeria. Beyond irregular migration, Nigeria also experiences several cases of trafficking. Women and children constitute the majority of those trafficked. A large proportion of poor women migrants and women trafficked to Europe, especially Italy, are from Nigeria and a growing number of those, are trafficked into the sex sector.

Despite steps taken by the Government to address forced migration and trafficking, including through the work of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which was established by the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, and State Taskforces Against Trafficking where established, mainstream interventions rarely take into account the differences in the migration and trafficking experiences of men, women, boys and girls, or develop tailored responses targeted at their particular concerns, leaving the demand side of these phenomena relatively unaddressed and tend to be underscored by law and order and morality paradigms that place poor documented or undocumented migrants and survivors of trafficking at the margins of society and reinforce the victim blaming syndrome.

It is against this background that the Government of Italy and UN Women have embarked on a partnership, through the 2-year Programme on Prevention of forced migration and trafficking in women and girls in Nigeria to support efforts by the Government of Nigeria aimed at preventing forced migration and trafficking of women and girls by supporting policy measures and community-based initiatives to foster an enabling environment for prevention and enhance the gender-responsiveness of protection services and reintegration support measures for returning trafficked victims/survivors, building synergies with ongoing efforts of key partners -including the International Organization for Migration.

As part of the Programme, UN Women will be supporting the gender audit of existing federal and state level policies, laws, plans and institutional frameworks on forced migration and trafficking in persons (TIP) with a view to ensure that they are gender-sensitive and responsive, with an additional focus on addressing the root causes of trafficking by supporting efforts towards the implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) at a State level.

The current legal and policy framework for forced migration and trafficking at the federal level includes: 2008 National Policy on Protection and Assistance to Trafficked Persons in Nigeria; National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons; Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act, as amended in 2015; 2015 Guidelines on National Referral Mechanism for Protection and Assistance to Trafficked Persons in Nigeria; and 2018 Standard Operating Procedures for Coordinating Law Enforcement Response. Some have lapsed, such as the National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons, while others have been amended in the recent past, such as the Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act. Further laws and policies exist at the State level.

Duties and Responsibilities

The overall objective of the consultancy is the review and gender analysis of the legislative, policy, and institutional frameworks at the federal and state level to address forced migration and trafficking in women and girls as well as support implementation of the VAPP Bill in Edo State and review implementation of its equivalent, the Domestic Violence Law in Lagos State. The review will provide the basis for convening the broad range of stakeholders addressing trafficking and forced migration, including key national and state authorities, women led organizations, UN agencies, front line providers-including from the security and justice sectors, to deliberate on existing challenges and gaps as it relates to gender-responsive approaches to trafficking and forced migration of women and girls. The consultancy will have a concerted focus on the implementation of the VAPP Act in the target States and identify priorities for implementation/interventions as it relates to TIP.

 In partnership with the UN Women team, the national consultant will perform the following functions:

1. Desk review of existing federal and state level (Edo and Lagos States) policies, instruments, laws, plans and institutional frameworks/arrangements on forced migration and trafficking from a gender perspective including 2008 National Policy on Protection and Assistance to Trafficked Persons in Nigeria; National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons; Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act, as amended in 2015; 2015 Guidelines on National Referral Mechanism for Protection and Assistance to Trafficked Persons in Nigeria; and 2018 Standard Operating Procedures for Coordinating Law Enforcement Response.
2. Provide policy recommendations at National and State level to include a gender perspective
3. Undertake consultative meetings among UN Agencies, national and state level stakeholders, security sector institutions, front line service providers and CSOs
4. Facilitate validation workshops on the above-mentioned review and priority actions with both federal and state level stakeholders
5. Develop and validate, in close consultation with state-level actors, priorities and key actions for the implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Bill in Edo State
6. Undertake an implementation status review of the Domestic Violence Law in Lagos State

Deliverables of the Assignment and time frame

The selected National Consultant will be expected to complete the following key-deliverables within the indicative timeframe:

1. A validated situational analysis report on existing policies, laws, plans and institutional frameworks on forced migration and trafficking at federal and state level, which highlights the gender dimensions, gaps and actions required to address them-including recommendations on laws and policies requiring revision. The Report should include a specific section on key priorities, actions, and interventions around the implementation of the VAPP Bill in Edo and the Domestic Violence Law in Lagos State

Due Date 15 days from the commencement of assignment

2. Reports of consultative meetings with UN Agencies, national and state level key stakeholders including security sector institutions, frontline service providers as well as CSOs and women-led organizations

Due Date 20 days from the commencement of assignment

3. Organisation of two validation workshops and reports of the two validation workshops

Due date 35 days from the commencement of assignment

4. A comprehensive report on the consultancy assignment, including findings and recommendations to UN Women, legislators, MDAs, CSOs, among others on the effective implementation of gender-sensitive policies on forced migration and trafficking and specifically the VAPP Act

Due date 45 days from the commencement of assignment

Reporting

Under the strategic guidance of the Country Representative and in partnership with the UN Women Team, the proponent will develop and deliver the above listed outputs in accordance with the above listed outputs in accordance with the above outlined timeframe. Writing and formatting of the document should be consistent throughout.

Competencies

Core Values / Guiding Principles:

• Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct;
• Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work;
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity;
• Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative;
• Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multiethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication;
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others;
• Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution;
• Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge;
• Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Knowledge of international law and instruments related to trafficking and migration, international law and international instruments on women’s rights
• Understanding of new developments, standards, good practice, and policy issues as they relate to anti-trafficking and safe migration initiatives
• Sound knowledge of the legal and policy framework on trafficking in persons and migration in Nigeria
• Excellent legal and gender analytical capacity;
• Knowledge of witness and victim protection and data protection;
• Ability to speak and write in a clear and gender-sensitive language; and
• Familiarity with the UN system and knowledge of UN Women.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in Law, Social Science, Gender Studies, International Development, Human Rights, Political Science, International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies or any related field.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience at national or international level in implementing or advocating for women’s rights, preferably in the area of migration and anti-trafficking;
• Excellent knowledge of research and assessment of programmes relating to policies and laws affecting women
• Understanding of the policy and legislative environment in Nigeria and ability to mobilize multi-stakeholders, especially National and State Authorities
• Previous experience in drafting/publishing such similar guides on gender and migration and trafficking

Duration of the Assignment

The assignment is expected to take 45 working days from the date of signing the contract.