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E-Zone HRM Limited is a management consulting group providing one-stop solutions to clients who seek improved and sustainable profitability through the effective use of their people and resources. We specialize in delivering innovative and value added services that promote revenue growth and cost containment.
E-Zone HRM Limited has a formal agreement with one of the United Nations Agency to provide outsourcing services under a third party contract.
E-Zone HRM Limited is now accepting applications from Bangladeshi Nationals for the following vacancies under third party outsourcing contract modality:
CP Consultant Violence Against Children and Women (VACW) and Harmful Practices
Duty Station: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Contract Duration: 12 Months
Number of Vacancies: 1(one)
Contract Type: Contract with E-Zone
Contract Start Date: 15 August, 2021
Reporting to: Child Protection Specialist
A. Background:
In Bangladesh, 89% of children from 1 to 14 years’ experience physical violence and psychological aggression at home by their parents or caregivers. In, During the period from 1 January to 16 August, 781 children experience violence and neglect across the country including rape, beating, sexual harassment etc., 164 children were murdered, and 81 were kidnapped. Due to lockdown for COVID-19, violence against children and women increased at 35%. UN Agency report in 2018 shows that 80% of teen age internet user felt they needed stronger protection and safety support whilst online and 20% user already had fallen victim to online harassment and abuse.
Bangladesh additionally has a patriarchal societal structure with norms and practices that unequally impact adolescent girls and place females of any age at higher risks of violence. These social norms prescribe domestic violence and intimate partner violence as exclusively private matters; as a result, the actual number of cases are never known and 25.4% of women think partner (husband) violence is justified (MICS 2019). 82% of women in the country experience intimate partner violence while 89% children from 1 to 14 years’ experience violence by the caregivers or parents.
With a prevalence of 51 percent, Bangladesh ranks among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest levels of child marriage, which, translates to 38 million girls married before the age of 18; and 13 million girls married before age 15 (MICS 2019). The multisectoral and interlinked nature of the issues for adolescent girls is evident in the recent in depth analysis of MICS 2019 data and reveals a direct impact on key outcomes for girls in terms of their health education and life choices. With a prevalence of 51.4 percent, Bangladesh ranks among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest levels of child marriage, which, translates to 38 million girls married before the age of 18; and 13 million girls married before age 15. Nearly 5 in 10 child brides gave birth before age 18, and 8 in 10 gave birth before age 20. (MICS 2019).
During COVID19 and without the safety net that schools provide, it has been experienced a meaningful exacerbation of exposure to abuse, early marriage and child labour and with more than 8 million, roughly 40% of young people likely to be pushed back into poverty. The child labour survey carried out by BBS in 2013 identified 1.7 children engaged in child labour out of 3.45 million working children. From these 1.7 million, 1.28 million were identified to be working under hazardous conditions. The MICS report (2019) revealed that88.8% children age 1-14 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past one month. Issues like child marriage and violence against children continue to be highly prevalent.
Moreover, conflict and natural disasters, common in the Bangladeshi context, tend to worsen gender disparities by exposing children and adolescents to diverse gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities as displacement and social roles change. Evidence reveals the gendered nature of violence – with adolescent boys more often subjected to physical violence and adolescent girls to sexual and emotional violence. In the Rohingya camps in particular, large numbers of adolescents especially girls experienced gender-based violence during their flight, and the camps are considered high-risk environments with many female-headed households; child, early and forced marriage; sex for survival; commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking; growing levels of intimate partner violence and high risk of rape and other risks of GBV against women and girls persist due to unsafe conditions.
Violence and harmful practices not only cause immediate trauma; it can lead to longer-term child depression and behavioral problems, post-traumatic stress anxiety and eating disorders. Impacts on mental health, in turn, can influence a range of health outcomes, making young people more vulnerable to substance abuse and poor reproductive and sexual health. It leads to death including homicide, suicide, severe injuries, impair brain and nervous systems. Its negative impact executive functions of children thus resulting poor educational outcomes, negative coping mechanism and intergenerational transmission from parent to child, sibling to sibling.
The constitution of Bangladesh emphasizes on free from exploitation, fundamental human rights, securing freedom, equality, justice, economic and social rights for all citizens of the State and Bangladesh made remarkable progress in terms of policy and legislative reforms for addressing violence against children and women. The country has adapted several legislative measures and UN Agency has been investing extensively in supporting government counterpart and civil society to eliminate any form of violence and against children and harmful practices.
B. Objectives, Purpose and Expected Results:
The purpose of this consultancy is to support the child protection specialist responsible for EVACW and harmful practices and team to enhance a more coordinated response to violence against children and women, child marriage and child labor among other harmful practices; the consultant needs to support the creation of stronger linkages within the two main drivers of change identified which are adolescent participation and positive parenting. The consultancy, under the technical supervision of the child protection specialist will support in the development of a national mechanism to combat violence against children and women and to establish an overarching strategy that sees child protection response mainstreams in other sectoral work like education and health and, in close collaboration with communication for development.
C. Description of Assignment:
Support the supervisor to ensure that a national coordination mechanism and roadmap is established/ strengthened to end violence against children with strategies for preventing harmful practices including VACW with the ultimate goal to strengthen the child protection system. Evidence generated by several studies currently under development must be informing this strategy.
A detailed action plan is drafted in consultation with other pillars and sectors to promote key drivers of change and key outcomes are documented: positive discipline in public schools; positive parenting within a multisectoral approach; adolescent programming across multiple platforms. All components need to be interlinked.
Evidence generated by several studies currently under development must be informing this action plan.
COVID 19 and harmful practices and VACW approach to be revised in coordination with system strengthening and emergency focal point.
D. Deliverables:
Draft of VACW strategy and coordination mechanisms to eliminate VACW and harmful practices in close coordination among C4D, education and health sectors is delivered.
Effective identification and referral system are mapped and developed to ensure system is strengthened and linkage to services is responsive. Task will include monthly meeting minutes and action points taken and their respective follow up conducted.
Intersectoral meetings coordinated; minutes and action points circulated; EVAC in school concept note is finalized and action plan is implemented in coordination with system strengthening and education teams; positive parenting overarching strategy and training package are developed in coordination with C4D team and includes child protection approach and linkages with CHL and services; community based mechanism and referral pathway is developed across all the child protection pillars; adolescent program scalability and sustainability strategy is finalized in coordination with section team members and field zone as well as other sectors and it is rolled out through several platforms under MoWCA, APC, DWA, Bangladesh Shishu Academy, education sector and other entry points. Gen U and employability interventions are aligned to the abovementioned strategy and their impact is documented.
All interventions must be documented and contribute to evidence generation for the section and potential publication on case studies.
A joint approach to tackle VACW and harmful practices during COVID 19 must be developed and coordinated with respective focal points from system strengthening and emergency pillars
Tasks that are relevant to VACW and Harmful Practices including support in coordination of Global Program on Ending Child Marriage; etc.; meeting minutes, follow up on action points; zero drafts of donor proposals, donor reports, M&E related documents and, other technical documents or inputs as required. Support to the section on adolescent skills development including livelihoods and employability as necessary
E. Consultancy Costs:
- The consultant will get BDT 225,000 per month.
- Consultant will be responsible to pay all taxes as per government rules and regulations. E-Zone will make statutory deductions towards income tax as per government rules and regulations.
F. Qualification requirement of the company/ institution/ organization:
Educational:
Education:
- A university degree in one of the following fields is required: anthropology, economics,psychology, sociology, education, or another relevant technical field.
Experiences:
- A minimum of eight years of professional experience in social development planning and management in ending violence against children and women development and related areas is required.
- Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
- Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset
This position is open for Bangladeshi Nationals only. All candidates, irrespective of gender, religious and ethnic backgrounds can apply for the vacancies.
The UN Agency prides itself as fostering a multicultural and harmonious work environment, guaranteed by a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected consultants will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Candidates with the required profile and proven experience, who meet these qualifications, are invited to submit their application in English clearly mentioning the Job Title along with a meaningful cover letter, updated CV, recent PP size photograph by email to:
jobs.un@e-zonebd.com
Last Date of Application: 9th August, 2021
No phone calls please. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. All applications will be treated according to the merit and with strict confidentiality.
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