EU/UN WOMEN SPOTLIGHT INITIATIVE PROJECT

Negotiating & Strengthening SGBV Protection for Women’s Rights Advocates /Marginalized Groups in FCT, Adamawa and Sokoto States

Background

The issue of gender based violence affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. This has peculiar implications for people with marginalized racial, ethnic, class, indigenous, or disabled status. Violence against women and girls is among the most widespread and devastating human rights violations in the world, but much of it is often unreported due to norms and practices that further entrench gender inequality through the culture of impunity, public shaming, and forced silence. Global statistics show that one in four women will experience a form of violence in her lifetime; yet women’s rights issues remain hugely underfunded (UN Women, 2019).

In Nigeria, women and girls are subject to systematic disadvantage and discrimination – particularly those who are poor, live in rural areas, and are from particular social groups. Gender inequality is manifested in violence against women and girls (VAWG), barriers to accessing quality education for girls, early marriage, poor reproductive and maternal health, and legal discrimination (particularly regarding family law). The scourge of VAWG was not overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic presently ravaging the entire world,. This situation of VAWG exacerbated during the peak period of COVID-19 Pandemic (2019-2020) and it is still presently being experienced. This human rights pandemic was dubbed the shadow pandemic as there was a spike in activities of perpetrators during lockdowns that were ordered to slow down the spread of COIVD-19. The majority of those on the front lines of the pandemic are women, there’s need to provide resources like healthcare, education and training for women. It is the responsibility of women to hold the social fabric together – be it at home, in health centers and schools, or caring for the elderly – all of this is unpaid care work which is mostly taken for granted.

The Nigerian Government’s response has included efforts to improve its institutional and policy framework, which include the Violence against Person Prohibition (VAPP) Act, enacted at the national level in 2015, the National Policy on the Elimination of FGM/C, the National Strategy to End Child Marriage, a Road Map and National Priority Actions to End Violence Against Children (VAC) which have been adopted and are being supported for implementation as well as several policies and frameworks for a conducive environment for women and girls’ access to quality sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services.

Civil society remains a key important constituency, working to hold the government accountable to deliver on rights protection. However, despite the existence of a strong feminist movement, the potential of civil society and women groups to advance women’s rights, including SRHR, has been insufficiently tapped to date due to limited coordination and capacity gaps. Through a comprehensive approach, the Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria will aim to support a Nigeria where all women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable, live a life free from violence and harmful practices. The vision will be realized by addressing the linkages between sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices with related aspects of sexual and reproductive health and rights as a cross-cutting theme. Focus will be on prevention efforts, particularly addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and harmful practices (child marriage and FGM) against women and girls; and ensuring access to inclusive, timely, and quality services for victims and survivors.

The geographic scope will be vertical, supporting interventions at federal, state and community levels and horizontally across 5+1 focus states (Lagos, Sokoto, FCT, Ebonyi, Adamawa and Cross River), one per geo-political zone, based on a mixed set of criteria (including prevalence, political will, enabling environment, capacities and potential to facilitate further expansion and up scaling). The most vulnerable women and girls will be targeted.

Spotlight focus in Africa: Eliminate sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), harmful practices (HPs), and address related aspects of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs), in 8 Priority Countries: Nigeria, Liberia, Niger, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Mali. In Nigeria the Programme will be implemented in Adamawa, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi, FCT, Lagos and Sokoto States. Interventions focus on six mutually-reinforcing programming pillars; Pillar 1: Laws and Policies, Pillar 2: Institutions, Pillar 3: Prevention, Pillar 4 : Services, Pillar 5 : Data, Pillar 6 : Women’s Movement. The Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) is one of the NGOs selected by the UN Women for a Partnership with EU-UN Spotlight Initiative (SI) Programme in Nigeria. WRAPA work focus will be in FCT, Adamawa and Sokoto States, in the Component six (6) of the intervention.

As implementing partner of Spotlight Initiatives Phase II (October 2021 – November 2022) under the UN Women Agency, WRAPA will target key role players that are central to the achievement of systemic shift in VAWG/SGBV/HP in Sokoto, Adamawa States and the FCT. Interventions would be implemented in partnerships with existing partner Organizations that showed agency during the Phase I period in Sokoto, Adamawa States and FCT, to focus on building capacity of both individual and institutions, to “influence and act”, across state and non-state actors.

Key interventions will include strengthening the capacities of key stakeholders to advocate for, and participate in the domestication, review, the development and implementation of laws and policies on ending VAWG, including SGBV/HP and SRHR., on the use of available, accessible, acceptable, and quality essential services including for long term recovery from violence ,and enhancement of better knowledge and capacity to deliver quality and coordinated essential services, including sexual and reproductive health services and access to justice, to women and girls’ survivors of VAWG/SGBV/HP, especially those facing intersecting forms of discrimination

Against this background, WRAPA is looking to hire State Project Officer (SPO) in Adamawa State, who is to coordinate the implementation activities of the project. He/She is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the project at that level. The SPO will serve as the main link between WRAPA and Federal Capital Territory designated existing partner Organizations that showed agency during the Phase I period, ensuring quality and effectiveness in the delivery of project interventions, as well as the liaison with stakeholder and beneficiary organizations and platforms in producing outcomes in line with the results framework.

EU/UN WOMEN SPOTLIGHT INITIATIVE PROJECT

Negotiating & Strengthening SGBV Protection for Women’s Rights Advocates /Marginalized Groups in FCT, Adamawa and Sokoto States

 

FCT PROJECT OFFICER (SPO)

TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)

 

Location:  Abuja

Type of Contract: Individual Contract

Post Level:   Consultant

Languages Required:  English

Starting Date: 2022

End Date: 2023

Duration of Initial Contract: Months

Line Manager: Project Coordinator

1. Recruitment Objective

To engage a Consultant to develop a Social Accountability/Women’s Movement Monitoring Toolkit to increase awareness using standard advocacy strategies & messages sensitizing and aiding informed VAWG/SGBV/HP and SRHR for use in advocacy and sensitization engagements by stakeholders to enable sustainable change in FCT, Adamawa and Sokoto States.

Specific objectives:

Consultant to develop a context based SGBV Social Accountability/Women’s Movement Monitoring Toolkit on VAWG/SGBV/HP and the promotion of SRHR for women and girls in FCT, Adamawa and Sokoto States.

2. Responsibilities & Tasks

Desk review of documents on VAW/SGBV/HP and SRHR,All project documents Log frame Baseline studies Documents on: Social Accountability Mechanisms strategies for enhanced governance by women’s Movement’s globally Women’s Movement in Nigeria, its gains, gaps and recommendations for improvement. WRAPA Institutional memories and how it advanced women’s movement amidst other stakeholders in Nigeria Identify format and content to be used for Social Accountability/Women’s Movement Monitoring Toolkit Develop a concept note Design of the Tool Kit.

3. Inputs to be provided by WRAPA project team:

All project documents Log frame Baseline studies Initial site visit reports Mapping report

4. Expected Deliverables:
The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs to Project Team for review and approval: Approved Consultancy work plan Consultant Concept Note on the Context based SGBV Tools for advocacy and sensitization
Submit a content framework of tool kit for the Team’s review Draft copy of design of Tool Kit Final approved Tool Kit for printing. List of materials referenced

5. Skills and Competencies

1. Strong working in Social Accountability, strategic communication, participatory monitoring and evaluation
2. Strong background in using social media to communicate as well as general audio-visual competencies. 
3. Strong in strategies to coordinate synergy and sustainable women’s movements
4. Strong knowledge of the communication landscape in the project state. 
5. Strong ability to synthesize information into attractive and user friendly products.
6. Demonstrable experience of their work.
7. Partook in the Women’s movement with landmark achievement of national repute is an added advantage.
8. Good grasp of  GBV accountability Framework
9. A working knowledge of M&E including a component on the kit with simplified community score cards to the women’s movement including step by step budget monitoring and tracking
10. Ability to speak the local language is a significant plus.

6. Guiding Principles

The Consultant shall:
Work with and be supervised by the Project Coordinator.
Carry out the responsibilities of the position in an efficient, effective, and professional manner.
Discharge the duties, observe and comply with all procedures, administrative regulations and standard operating procedures (SOP) of WRAPA and UN WOMEN
Exercise and eschew the values of due diligence, responsible work ethics, and mutual respect, due consideration, accountability and good faith in all dealings.

WRAPA shall:
Diligently discharge its obligations under this contract in a timely and transparent manner.
Extend its cooperation and support to the PD in accordance with best practice subject to
Mutual considerations.
The parties agree that the duties and functions outlined in the TOR are not exhaustive, whereby work of a similar nature may be expected to attain the contract objective.

7. Duration:

The duration of engagement will be 14 working days starting the month of July…2022 and ending the month of July. 2022, beginning from the date this agreement is signed.