Consultancy for validation of Lebanon mapping of available services addressing VAW and existing data collection tools through service delivery points

Purpose of consultancy
Gender Based Violence (GBV)/Violence Against Women (VAW) is a worldwide phenomenon cutting across cultures, religions, age groups, and socio-economic statuses.[1] In the Arab States Region, GBV is most frequently manifested as reports of domestic violence, child, early, and forced marriage,[2] female genital mutilation (FGM),[3] sex and labour trafficking, rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, and honour-based crimes.[4]

GBV/VAW is widespread in Lebanon, which is hosting an estimated 1.5 (registered and non-registered) Syrian refugees representing more than 30% of the population. After seven years of conflict and protracted displacement, poor living conditions coupled with increasing inter-communities tensions triggered serious protection concerns, including GBV. Refugees, both men and women, face an unbearable level of stress that may lead them to abuse of power and violence within the household. Those who do not have the means and opportunities to support themselves and their families in times of crisis are also at higher risk of adopting negative coping mechanisms, such as survival and sex trafficking, child labour, and early and forced marriage. This has devastating consequences on survivors’ health, including Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and emotional well-being, among others. Marginalized refugee girls are especially at risk of GBV, such as being married early, which directly threatens their health and well-being.

In 2015, within the framework of a Joint Global Programme, several agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations (UNFPA, UN Women, WHO, UNDP, UNODC) launched a set of Global Standards and Essential Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence, aiming to provide greater access to a coordinated set of essential and quality multi-sectoral services for all women and girls who have experienced gender based violence (GBV).

The provision of services is a crucial piece in the puzzle of prevention and response to VAW. In the Arab region, including in Lebanon, there is still a gap between the agreements and obligations made at the interventional level for the provision of services for survivors and country level implementation. To date, there is no comprehensive mapping of existing services in the region to identify the main gaps and needs to fully align with international standards. In many cases where some services are in place, survivors are not aware of their availability and their rights in relation to these services; the quality and consistency of the services vary, which also limits accessibility, especially for adolescent girls, single mothers and women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, such refugees, women living with HIV and those with disabilities. No mapping of coordinated data collections systems has been undertaken.

In order to strengthen GBV programming in the region, UNFPA Arab State Regional Office (ASRO) initiated in 2017 a regional mapping of the existing services and their alignment to the international standards. The mapping, which was done as a desk review, targeted several Arab states, including Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, GCC, and Iraq.

As the study has been completed, the next step is to fact check, contextualize and deepen each of the country level reports to ensure that the assessment adequately captures mechanisms in place as well as the main stakeholders working in the provision of services for survivors in each country.

A comprehensive exercise, covering the whole Arab region, has been initiated and will need to be finalized and validated by national counterparts. This exercise will also allow to have information that’s easy to be visualized through a colour-coded matrix showing priorities areas for future programming and it will help inform future joint programmes and will be key for further advocacy in the development of roadmaps and action plans with counterparts.

Based on the above, UNFPA Lebanon is thus looking to hire a consultant to conduct the fact checking exercise for the country assessment, share the report findings during a validation meeting and incorporate proposed changes into a final version of the report in order to allow for publishing and sharing of the final report/findings in the frame of the regional mapping

Scope of work

Under the supervision of UNFPA Lebanon and with overall guidance from ASRO, a consultant will be contracted to carry out the following tasks:

1. To review the current draft of the Lebanon chapter of the SGBV services mapping, by identifying and updating any potential inaccuracies, outdated information and other changes that might be required, and to update the report accordingly.
2. To ensure that feedback emanating from relevant stakeholders is incorporated into the mapping exercise. .
3. To produce a final updated version of the Lebanon SGBV services mapping in English, an executive summary including selected findings/data to be translated into infographics, and a PowerPoint Presentation to support the dissemination.
4. To formally validate the finalized Lebanon chapter of the SGBV services mapping report through collecting final feedback and clearance from relevant stakeholders

Duration and working schedule

25 days. The assignment should be concluded within 7 weeks from contract signature/confirmation email.

Place where services are to be delivered

Home-based. The consultant will be responsible for the submission of all deliverables.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered

Deliverables

Timeline

• Folder of documents reviewed for updating the report
• Data collection tool
• List of stakeholders to be interviewed and interview guide (soft copies)
• Progress report
• Draft Lebanon chapter in the GBV mapping in the Arab region report (soft copy)

October 15

• PowerPoint presentation
• Final report updated with last comments from stakeholders (soft copy)

November 10

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline

Detailed deliverables

The consultant shall deliver the following:

• A folder containing all analysed materials/tools (Google doc link);
• A data collection tool/ An interview guide with key questions to address relevant stakeholders;
• A list of stakeholders to be interviewed;
• Draft Lebanon chapter in the GBV mapping in the Arab region report and PowerPoint;
• Final report entailing inputs from the validation meeting

Supervisory arrangements

The assignment will be carried out under supervision of UNFPA Lebanon, who shall provide the following support to the consultancy:

• Provide related documents, material, reports, etc.
• Provide contact of relevant partners and stakeholders
• Provide meeting facilities and organize events (i.e. validation meeting)

Review and provide technical comments/inputs on the report and related documents prepared by the consultant.

Expected travel
N/A

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements

Education: Master Degree or equivalent in International Law, or Law and Gender Equality, Human Rights Law, or any other relevant academic degree.

Professional Experience: 

• 5- 7 years professional experience in humanitarian context, with emphasis on vulnerable and/or marginalized groups.
• At least 5 years of extensive experience working on GBV/VAW and in coordination mechanisms with governments, civil society, development partners and community based organizations; previous work focusing on referral system for GBV survivors in Lebanon is an asset;
• Demonstrated experience in producing reports relating to Gender and GBV/VAW as well as familiarity with coordinated tools and set of essential and quality multi-sectoral services for GBV survivors;
• Verified practice on producing high quality peer reviewed publications for UN, development partners and government.

Functional Competencies: 

• Excellent written communication skills in English, including editing;
• Ability to consolidate information from multiple sources;
• Able to prepare strategic information for decision makers;
• Ability to work independently as well as good team player;
• Excellent time management and ability to produce outputs as per agreed deadlines

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable

N/A

Other relevant information or special conditions, if any

The position is home based and might involve the support of another consultant if needed. The costs related to any type of assistance should be reflected in the consultant’s financial offer and borne by him/her and falls under his/her sole responsibility.

The consultant should provide the following documents:

• Updated resume with relevant experience
• P11 form filled out
• Cover letter

The above documents must be sent to the following address: info-lebanon@unfpa.org no later than September 18, 2018.

Please indicate the following title under subject when submitting applications: Consultancy for mapping available VAW services.

Consultants who fail to submit the required documents above will not be considered for review.

UNFPA Lebanon will only be responsible to respond to those applicants submitting the required documents above and in which there is further interest.

ONLY consultants, not companies, are eligible to apply.

[1] A World Health Organization report in 2013 found that one in three women in the world will experience either physical or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by a non-partner within her life.

[2] According to the Population Reference Bureau, in the Arab region, one in seven girls marries before her 18th birthday.

[3] More than 133 million girls and women have experienced some form of FGM in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the harmful traditional practice still occurs. For more data on FGM see UNICEF global databases 2014, based on DHS, MICS and other nationally representative surveys

[4] United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Regional Strategy on Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in the Arab States Region (2014-2017), 2014