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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of its efforts, UN Women is mandated to lead and coordinate United Nations’ system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment are translated into action. It is also mandated to provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.
In Tanzania, UN Women is partnering with the Tanzania Police Force (TPF) to implement the Five-year National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC) (2017/18 – 2021/22). The Plan aims at eliminating all forms of violence against women and children in Tanzania by 50 percent by 2021/22. One of the NPA-VAWC strategies is to develop a comprehensive and integrated protection system delivering coordinated, quality, and timely support to women and children affected by violence.
UN Women has supported Tanzania Police Force since 2012. In recent years, the TPF has improved the availability, accessibility, and quality of essential services to survivors[1] of violence against women and girls (VAWG), by strengthening the Police Gender and Children’s Desks (PGCDs), building the capacity of the police officers serving at the PGCDs, and sensitizing the communities in question to the presence of the PGCDs and VAWG response in general. As a result of the previous projects, women and girls are better informed to report incidences of VAWG.
However, there is a need for scaling up the availability and accessibility of quality essential services for survivors of VAWG. For the moment, women above 18 years old have limited access to report VAWG in Tanzania directly to the PGCDs, and in many cases long distances (to the PGCDs) prevent women from reporting and accessing services. Hence, the need for easier accessibility of quality essential services. Tanzania Police Force runs a Hotline for criminal offences in general, as well as for crimes against children, but there is a need for a specific Hotline to reach women and girl survivors of violence with trained officials receiving the calls and responding to the varied needs rising from multitude of different forms of VAWG in the country, including but not limited to sexual violence, domestic and intimate partner violence, FGM, and sextortion, and referring the women and girls to the appropriate Police Gender and Children’s Desks and other support services for more support.
The lack of a national hotline for survivors of VAWG is recognized in the country and establishing such a service would impact positively on the overall accessibility of essential services for VAWG survivors in Tanzania. VAWG Hotlines can also be a helpful barometer for measuring the impact of public education campaigns and can provide information to guide new interventions. They can be used to clarify information on misconceptions and myths on VAWG. Besides, hotlines can provide information for improved VAWG related services. By responding to the request of the Tanzania Police Force on the establishment of a national toll-free VAWG hotline, more women and girls would be reached and be able to access available services.
The recognized need by the Tanzania Police Force to establish such a service is supported by best practices from the region, such as Malawi and Kenya, where UN Women has supported the establishment of VAWG hotlines which provide safe and easily accessible platforms to report VAWG cases. Examples from other countries in the region demonstrate an increase in the overall reporting of sexual violence, which was previously underreported due to distance to the services, stigmatization, sensitive nature of sexual violence, and the lack of confidentiality in reporting. Establishing such a service would impact positively and add value to the current service provision for VAWG survivors in Tanzania.
Duties and Responsibilities
The main objective of the assignment is to provide technical support to the Tanzania Police Force on the development of National Guidelines for the National Toll-Free Hotline for Survivors of VAWG in Tanzania. In particular, the consultant will:
- Prepare an inception report and introduce a plan to work on the required assignment.
- Conduct desk-based literature review on guidelines, manuals, data collection and management tools on operating similar hotlines providing services for survivors of VAWG and other related services in Tanzania, the East and Southern African Region, and other regional and international sources to gather best practices.
- Hold virtual/in-person consultations with key stakeholders on the functioning of the existing crime hotline services and gaps in Tanzania in responding to VAWG at the national level.
- Develop Guidelines to establish the national toll-free VAWG Hotline for the Police force, to provide support to survivors of VAWG in a confidential, sensitive and survivor-centered manner, provide accurate information on VAWG, victim’s rights and available services, make referrals to regional and local level PGCDs and other support services, such as social and health services, children’s/parenting services, legal aid, shelters and counselling, and collect and manage case data and provide reports.
- Establish data collection and management tools and instructions on how the Police should use them in the VAWG hotline call center and establish a template for the annual and bi-annual reporting on the functioning and reach of the hotline, including amongst others, hotline data on the number and nature of the calls, type of violence, and its consequences and referrals to other services, disaggregated by gender, age, marital status and region amongst others and incorporating the particulars used by TPF Gender and Children’s Desks in the Gender Desk Register (manual) and Gender Response reporting system (electronic).
- Facilitate virtual/in-person discussions and review of the first draft of the Guidelines on the Hotline with the Tanzania Police Force, the Technical Advisory Committee, UN Women, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Finalize the Guidelines on the Hotline by incorporating feedback from the above stakeholders.
- Present the final Guidelines on the Hotline virtually/in-person to the Tanzania Police Force, the Technical Advisory Committee and UN Women, for review and approval.
- Develop a training plan and training materials to strengthen capacities of the hotline operators on the Guidelines, tools, and reporting templates.
- Conduct Training of Trainers virtually/in-person on how to operate the Hotline, including collecting case data, taking action and reporting according to the Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline in collaboration with the trainers of Tanzania Police Force.
- Deliver two mentoring and accompaniment sessions virtually/in-person to support the roll-out and reporting from the VAWG Hotline.
The Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline should be developed through a consultative and comprehensive process. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will be established by UN Women and TPF Gender and Children’s Desk Team to review each of the deliverables to meet international standards and ensure alignment of regional and international best practices for the establishment of VAWG Hotlines and the national interests and needs for the Hotline. The TAC will include relevant national stakeholders (government representatives, women’s rights organizations and service providers, survivor advocates, UN Agencies, including UN Women) and interested and relevant donors already supporting the Tanzanian Police Force.
Coordination, Reporting and Accountability of the Assignment
- The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women EVAW Team Leader.
- The Consultant will report weekly and provide updates of the work to the EVAW Team Leader of UN Women and Police Chief in charge of Police Gender and Children’s Desks and receive guidance to ensure that high standards are well preserved/observed during the exercise.
- The Technical Advisory Committee will review and approve each of the deliverables to ensure it meets international standards.
Implementation Timeframe and Deliverables:
The assignment is for a fixed period of 60 working days, commencing 1st October 2021, and continuing through 28th February 2022, when the Final Guidelines will be due for submission.
The consultant will be expected to deliver the following:
- An Inception Report on the assignment and workplan including time frames on how the work will be undertaken. (5 working days).
- Literature review on guidelines and manuals, data collection, and management tools on VAWG hotlines providing services for survivors in the East and Southern African Region, other regions in Africa and beyond, and other Hotlines in Tanzania and a report on the findings. (5 working days).
- Virtual/in-person consultations with key stakeholders on the functioning of the existing crime hotline services and gaps in Tanzania in responding to VAWG at the national level and a report on the findings of the focus group discussions. (10 working days)
- Develop Data collection and management tools, reporting template and instructions on how to use them in the VAWG Hotline call center incorporating the particulars used by the TPF (5 working days)
- Draft Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline including data collection and reporting tools (15 working days).
- Final Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline including data collection and reporting tools with incorporated inputs from UN Women, Tanzania Police Force, and the Technical Advisory Committee (5 working days).
- Develop Training plan and training materials to capacitate the hotline operators on the Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline including data collection and reporting tools, and reporting template. (5 working days).
- Conduct a Training of Trainers (TOT) virtually/in-person on how to operate the Hotline according to the Guidelines on VAWG Hotline and provide a report of the training (5 working days).
- Deliver two mentoring and accompaniment sessions virtually/in-person to support the roll-out and reporting from the VAWG Hotline. (5 working days)
Payment Schedule and Deliverables/Tasks
- An Inception Report on the assignment and workplan, including time frames on how the work will be undertaken within 5 working days after the award of the contract – 10%.
- Virtual/in-person presentation and review on the draft Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline including data collection and reporting tools within 40 working days after the award of the contract – 40%.
- Virtual/in-person presentation and review on the final Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline including data collection and reporting tools and training plan and training materials within 50 working days following the award of the contract – 35%.
- Deliver the Final TOT virtually/in-person and providing a report of the training within 55 working days following the award of the contract – 10%
- Deliver two mentoring and accompaniment sessions virtually/in-person to support the roll-out and reporting from the Hotline within 60 working days following the award of the contract – 5%
- Payments are based on the review and approval of each deliverable by UN Women, Tanzania Police Force and the Technical Advisory Committee. The total fees payable for the assignment for a period of 60 working days – 100%.
Competencies
Key Performance Indicators:
- Timely and quality implementation of the assignment
- In-depth review and use of national, regional, and international best practices on VAWG Hotlines in developing the Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline
- Successful consultations with key stakeholders
- Well written and functional Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline
- Regular communication with UN Women and Tanzania Police Force
- Proper incorporation of technical inputs by UN Women, Tanzania Police Force, and the Technical Advisory Committee into the Guidelines on the VAWG Hotline
- Adherence to UN Women standards and rules
- Adherence to Tanzania Police Force standards and administrative requirements
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.
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.
Functional Competencies:
- Strong technical knowledge and expertise in prevention and response of VAWG
- Outstanding technical knowledge and experience on the development of Guidelines for VAWG Hotlines or similar services for use by the Police Force.
- Experience in training on VAWG, ideally for security sector personnel.
- Experience working on community policing with expertise in prevention and response of VAWG in the Police Gender and Children’s Desks
- Outstanding writing skills, with proven ability to meet tight deadlines.
- Communicates sensitively, effectively, and creatively.
- Familiarity with using online conferencing tools (i.e. Zoom, Teams, etc.).
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Master’s Degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Policing, Legal Studies or related field.
Experience:
- Minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience in working with women and girls on VAWG and support services to survivors of violence.
- Experience in development of gender-sensitive and responsive guidelines and manuals for the Police or other service providers to prevent and respond to VAWG.
- At least four (4) years’ experience in working on the promotion or integration of VAWG prevention and response in policing in Tanzania and/or East and Southern Africa.
- Experience on setting up toll free VAWG hotlines in Tanzania and/or East and Southern Africa is an asset.
- Strong analytical and communication skills.
- Capacity to work in a multidisciplinary team to meet deadlines, including coordinating and incorporating technical inputs into written work.
Language Requirements:
- Excellent writing and presentation skills in English, with additional fluency in Kiswahili.
Application Procedure:
Cover letter outlining suitability for the job, providing initial observations on the Terms of Reference, and an outline of the methodology he/she would use; a financial offer including travel costs in TZS for completion of the required tasks.
Please note that applications without a completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
UN Women Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment .
UNWOMEN 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.
The deadline for submitting the application is 07 September 2021.