UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, A fair chance :
Protecting all children and ensuring special protection to the most disadvantaged children such as victims of violence, extreme poverty, all forms of exploitation, migration, and children with disabilities is a state’s responsibility. Universal and regional legal instruments set clear and attainable standards to protect children from all kind of violence and exploitation. In particular, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child requires States to provide measures of protecting children against neglect, abuse and sexual exploitation, and to provide child victims with special help to recover and reintegrate into society. The Gambian government has signed, ratified, and/or accepted a number of international instruments on child protection, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990), the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2010), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (2000), and the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions on Child Labor, and the UN Protocol on Trafficking in Persons. As a result, protecting children is an obligation for the Government of The Gambia.
The concept of “child protection” refers to preventing and responding to violence, exploitation and abuse against children – including commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labor and harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation/cutting and child marriage. To reach this objective, UNICEF has chosen to work towards the building/strengthening of a national child protection system. A national child protection system seeks to address the full spectrum of risk factors in the lives of all children and their families. Along with partners, including governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society actors and the private sector, UNICEF promotes the strengthening of all components of national child protection systems – human resources, finances, laws, standards, governance, monitoring, evaluation and services provision. Depending on the country context, child protection systems may cut across part of the social welfare, education, health, and security sectors. It is only through the concerted efforts of individuals and groups, adults as well as children, that child protection systems can become effective and sustainable.
The analysis of the child protection related situation is a very powerful tool in building or strengthening a system, and it provides essential elements to guide the development of child protection interventions. In addition, it generates valuable information on the situation of children as well as the structures in place to address them and informs strategic planning and is a preliminary exercise to develop evidence-based recommendations.
The task requires the analysis of national and sub-national data, government’s strategies and plans for child protection and child rights; the laws directly associated with children, laws with provisions addressing issues facing children, research findings and reports of local civil societies, local and international NGOs; UNICEF and other UN agencies. The analysis should also take in account the voice of children who are currently or could be beneficiaries of the Child Protection Strategy and Costed work plan to reflect their concerns, needs and expectations.
How can you make a difference?
It is in this regard that the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare – with the support of UNICEF The Gambia – is seeking to carry out a Child Protection Situation Analysis to have an in-depth description of the extent to which children’s rights to protection are being fulfilled, and an analysis of the obstacles to, and enablers of, their realization. The Child Protection Situation Analysis will also explore the structures in place to protect children, with a deep analysis of their strengths and weaknesses.
The Ministry in charge of Women, Children, and Social Welfare was instituted last year and recently the Children’s Directorate, responsible for all matters regarding the protection of children, has also been established within the Ministry.
The Child Protection Situation Analysis will provide the Ministry with the information to design a Gambian Child Protection Strategy and Costed plan of action.
In particular, the Child Protection Situation Analysis should :
- Identify child protection issues and their prevalence ;
- Identity root causes of child protection issues ;
- Identify groups of children who are particularly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, neglect or other forms of violence ;
- Identify and map the systems that are in place to protect children ;
- Collect and analyses data on strengths and gaps in the child protection system ;
- Document the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on protection rights of children in The Gambia. The findings of a Child Protection Situation Analysis will provide the foundation to :
- Develop a national child protection strategy which guides child protection programming in the country ;
- Create stronger understanding of the child protection system among local programs and partners ;
- Support national and decentralized advocacy and planning to influence policies, strategies, budgets, and national laws ;
- Strengthen national and sub-national capacities to monitor the situation of children and women, principally regarding vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and how their specific rights are being met ;
- Engage development partners and donors – including UNICEF and the UN – in support of New Child Protection Strategy and Costed work plan ;
- Mainstream child protection matters in all relevant polices in The Gambia.
Please see attached TORs: 
TOR.docx
Estimated Cost of Consultancy : Applicants shall present a detailed financial proposal in USD that elaborates on their fees, administrative costs, etc. including a total sum demanded.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- Qualified social researcher with an advanced university degree in Social Sciences or other relevant disciplines ;
- Demonstrable expertise and at least 5 years of relevant experience working in The Gambia, or countries with similar development challenges ;
- Have a knowledge and skills in using both quantitative and qualitative research methods including research with children ;
- Capacity to lead discussion with the Child Protection partners ;
- Proficient working knowledge of English.
For every Child, you demonstrate :
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization
Remarks :
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.