Terms of Reference (ToR) for an Institutional Consultancy
UNICEF Nigeria, Child Protection
Title
Development of Reintegration Strategy for Children Released from Armed Forces or Armed Groups in Northeast Nigeria
Purpose
An institutional technical support to UNICEF Nigeria to develop a context-driven comprehensive community-based reintegration strategy for children and adolescents formerly associated with armed groups, including those released from administrative custody, survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and their families
Objectives
· To identify opportunities and services that can support the sustainable socio-economic reintegration of boys, girls, adolescents formerly associated with armed groups and other children at risk of recruitment, violence and exploitation.
· Develop a community based socio-reintegration strategy based on the findings of the opportunity and services’ mapping as well as existing efforts and programmes.
Expected results
· A comprehensive three-year community-based reintegration strategy document outlining issues that need to be addressed and providing guidance on strategic programme intervention to address issues highlighted is developed.
· An implementation plan outlining programme activities per year along with results matrix/monitoring tool that will guide the implementation of the strategy is in place.
· A resource mobilization strategy to enable UNICEF Nigeria prepare credible and well-informed donor proposals within tight timeframes is developed.
Location
Field based (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa) 60%, Homed based 35% and about 5% Abuja based.
Duration
Three months from 15 December 2017 to 15 March 2018
Background
Since 2011, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), more commonly known as ‘Boko Haram’ has intensified its activities in the North East Nigeria (primarily Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, as well as Gombe) through hit and run attacks, bombings and suicide attacks targeting both churches and mosques, schools, markets, and villages. By 2014, Boko Haram had shifted tactics from hit and run to hit and hold resulting in the group controlling 19 out of the 65 local government areas in the three states of emergency in the North East. Between 2015 and 2016, the Nigerian Armed Forces strengthened its counter insurgency, regaining control of the majority of areas previously occupied by Boko Haram. Today, Boko Haram are still active, and more recently they have unleashed a wave of suicide and human bomb attacks in Maiduguri.
It is estimated that 14.8 million people have been affected by the crisis, about 1,878,205 of whom are currently displaced. Over 54 per cent of the displaced and affected population are children. The majority of the children impacted by the conflict have been exposed to one or more of the following: violence, loss of friends, family members and neighbors, accumulated stress, deterioration in living conditions, inability to provide for one’s self and family, increased military presence, divisions in societies, and lack of access to services. In addition to the general needs of children impacted by the conflict, there are thousands of girls and boys have been subjected to grave violations of their rights – they have been recruited, abducted or held by Boko Haram, during which time they have witnessed, experienced sexual violence and have sometimes participated in physical violence.
Boko Haram and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) have been listed by the Secretary General under Security Council Resolution 1612 for recruitment and use of children. Boko Haram has also been listed for abduction. Boys and girls were recruited or abducted for both combat and support roles. While the numbers of boys encountered or rescued are not as high as the original estimates of 8,000 child combatants by the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) in 2015, during a profiling exercise conducted in September 2016, UNICEF partners identified as many as 2,400 boys in Maiduguri alone.
More than 500 boys and girls remain in military detention in Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, out of which 66 boys are being held as alleged child combatants. Girls are also held for alleged associated with Boko Haram. However, most of children are detained with their parents alleged to be associated with Boko Haram and are held in various locations including Bama, Mafa, Gwoza and Damboa.
Girls and boys require significant and long-term support to enable their recovery and reintegration. According to the findings of two assessments, their reintegration is often times severely hampered by the reluctance of their families and communities to accept them back and their return threatens to destabilise the social cohesion and further divide the communities to which they are returning.
As girls reach IDP camps or attempt to return to their villages of origin, most are facing stigma and rejection by family and community members not only due to social and cultural norms related to sexual violence, but also due to a fear that these girls and women may have been radicalised in captivity and pose a threat to communities.
The findings of an assessment on children associated with armed forces and groups (CAAFAG) highlighted that boys associated with Boko Haram will face significant obstacles in reintegrating. The assessment carried out by UNICEF and the DFID-funded British Council-led consortium called the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme, note that regardless of the method of recruitment, most communities expressed extreme negative perceptions and an unwillingness to accept the return of these children. Most concerning is the extreme negative perceptions of the community towards children born out of Boko Haram related sexual violence. Identified by the ‘Bad Blood’ assessment, this negative perception is based on traditional beliefs that the ‘blood of the fathers run in the veins of the children’, and as such, these children will eventually turn on their families and communities as their Boko Haram fathers have done. Therefore, these children are at acute risk not only of stigma and rejection, but also of violence.
Successful reintegration is further constrained by the widespread poverty in the communities of return, where most of the livelihoods are now destroyed by the protracted conflict. Economic revitalisation is an important aspect of post-conflict reconstruction of communities. Skills development, together with direct economic support, represents a vital means through which former CAAFAG and other children at risk of recruitment, abduction or sexual violence receive support through an economic reintegration programme.
The premise of the ‘Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups’ (2007), is that children are victims rather than perpetrators, and their best interests and their special status should guide protective and rehabilitative measures to address the effects of recruitment and use of children and support their reintegration back into society. Advocacy and dialogue, as well as programmatic responses, need to be based on a nuanced understanding of the profiles of children allegedly associated with armed groups, existing capacities, services and opportunities at the community level and a well-defined multifaceted strategy that will facilitate reintegration.
Scope of work
This assignment has two main components. First is the mapping of opportunities and services that can support the socio-reintegration assistance for boys and girls who have been recruited and used by armed groups including those who been under administrative detention and those who have experienced sexual violence and are now returning to communities who are reluctant to accept the children back.
Secondly, the assignment will use the findings of the services and opportunity mapping, to develop a three-year comprehensive community based reintegration programme. The strategy will target boys and girls formerly associated with armed groups, children and adolescents at risk of recruitment, socialization into violence, families and communities into which these children are returning.
Specific Tasks for the Institutional Consultancy
§ Prepare a conceptual framework for the consultancy with detailed schedule of work along with timelines;
§ Facilitate a stakeholders meeting to define the scope and parameters of the community-based reintegration programme, and establish a core group that will guide programme concept and development;
§ Review existing literature including studies undertaken in northeast Nigeria, the draft strategic actions drafted in 2016, international best practices and global lessons learnt on community based reintegration including where children and adolescents have been socialized into violence.
§ Provide an overview of national legal and policy environment related to protecting children from socialization into violence and recruitment
§ Provide an overview of Government and civil-society initiatives related to reintegrate boys and girls formerly associated with armed forces and groups and are now returning to their families and communities and are facing rejection and stigma and the protection of children from recruitment and socialization into violence
§ Conduct the service and opportunity mapping along with the analysis of the drivers of recruitment and risk factors associated with socialization into violence.
§ Develop the community based reintegration strategy based on the outcomes of the services and opportunity mapping and the analysis drivers of recruitment, release from armed groups and returns of the children back to their families and communities.
§ Present the findings of the assessment and the proposed programme intervention validated by all stakeholders to UNICEF and partners for review and comments;
§ Finalize and submit the final versions of the documents to UNICEF in both word and pdf format (in hard and soft copies)
Key Deliverables
1. Detailed work plan for the assignment
2. Inception report
3. Services and opportunity mapping report
4. Strategy document outlining programmatic actions for the sustainable reintegration of boys and girls formerly associated with armed groups and also for prevention of further recruitment and socialization into violence. Three-year implementation outlining appropriate and achievable program objectives and activities, indicators, and potential partners
5. Strategy for resource mobilization for the reintegration programme.
Minimum qualifications requirements
Institutional expertise, knowledge and experience:
§ Expertise on international and regional child protection, gender-based violence and conflict analysis standards, norms and best practices
§ Experience of undertaking research work, assessments and analysis in child protection, conflict analysis and peacebuilding with focus on children affected by armed conflict;
§ Experience in working in North-east Nigeria and knowledge of local actors, dynamics and contexts. Experience in similar contexts in Africa would be required
The Consultancy Team must comprise of the following:
§ Child protection, gender and peace building expert(s) who have an excellent understanding of the international and regional standards for child protection and best practice;
§ The research lead expert must have at least five years demonstrable experience of working in child protection, conflict analysis and peace building in developing countries. Experience of working in conflict-affected areas of Africa would be desirable.
§ Researchers with experience in undertaking child protection assessments;
§ Researchers who have experience in facilitating consultations on assessments with affected communities, children associated with armed groups; armed actors, government and non-government actors;
§ Members who have a good understanding of the legal, policy and institutional framework for child protection in North-east Nigeria;
§ Members that have excellent writing skills and fluency in English; and
§ Members(s) that have excellent editing skills and demonstrable experience of editing
Desirable skills, knowledge and experience
§ Proven track record in providing technical support to UNICEF in the reform of children associated with armed forces or groups;
§ The team comprises member(s) who have a good understanding of the legal, policy and institutional framework for release and reintegration of children associated with armed groups or forces, and the salient child protection issues in Northeast Nigeria, as well as knowledge of conflict analysis, gender analysis and peace building programming approaches;
§ Team member(s) with a good understanding of the relationships among armed groups (Civilian Joint Task Force and vigilante groups and Boko Haram); communities; military and governments in the context of armed conflict in the Northeast Nigeria;
§ Team members with local language skills (Hausa) required for work in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa states;
§ Team member(s) with a good understanding of links between the programming for children associated with armed groups and broader child protection in emergency response including gender-based violence; unaccompanied and separated children; and case management procedures for at risks children;
Administrative issues
§ Bidder is requested to provide an all-inclusive cost in the financial proposal, including all cost implications for the required service/assignment
§ Bidder is required to include the estimate cost of travel in the financial proposal: i) travel cost shall be calculated based on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel and ii) costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC).
§ Unexpected travels shall also be treated as above
Project Management
The UNICEF Chief of Child Protection will have the oversight for the assignment while the day to day management of the institutional contract will be the responsibility of the Child Protection Manager based in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The payment will be divided into three tranches. First tranche (30% of the fee) will paid after the signing of the contract, the second tranche (30% of total fee) to be paid following the completion of literature review, development and implementation of assessment tools, consultations with relevant stakeholders and counterparts from the government, civil society, communities, NGOs, UN agencies, boys and girls - upon submission of progress report. Third tranche (40 % of total fee) to be paid upon submission of final report and strategic document with the implementation plan and resource mobilization strategy
Payment schedule
Deliverables / Date / Payment1. Upon the submission of work plan and signing of contract to undertake for developing a community-based reintegration strategy / 15 December 2017 / 30%
2. Upon the completion of literature review, development and implementation of assessment tools, consultations with relevant stakeholders and counterparts from the government, civil society, communities, NGOs, UN agencies, boys and girls - upon submission of progress report, sharing the interim report on the assessment of opportunities and draft report on the community based reintegration strategy / 15 January 2018 / 30%
3. Upon submission of final report and strategic document with the implementation plan and resource mobilization strategy / 15 March 2018 / 40%
Criteria for Technical Review of Proposals