Study on the Direct Costs of Violence Against Children (VAC) Consultant, Brasilia (remote), Brazil, 7 months.

UNICEF and Ipea are partnering to produce robust and detailed evidence on the economic costs of VAC in Brazil. The proposed assignment aims to estimate the direct costs of VAC in Brazil, contributing to the broader analysis of the economic cost of VAC being conducted by UNICEF and IPEA to support evidence-based public policy formulation.

Violence against children (VAC) is one of the most severe human rights violations, with devastating and long-lasting consequences that go beyond individual suffering and affect a whole society. Despite advances in protective legislation, Brazil continues to record alarming rates of violence against its young population. In addition to the unacceptable human cost, this violence imposes a heavy economic burden on the country, undermining human capital development and overloading public health, security, and social assistance systems.

Recognizing the multifaceted nature of violence affecting children and adolescents, UNICEF’s Child Protection program works to bring greater visibility to this critical issue by producing evidence and fostering dialogue and partnerships across sectors. Simultaneously, UNICEF’s Social Policy program works to strengthen public investment in policies that protect the rights and well-being of children, adolescents and their families.

Measuring the economic costs of violence is a powerful tool for advocacy and for designing more effective public policies. Cost-benefit analysis shows that investing in prevention of and response to VAC is not only a moral imperative but also an economically sound strategy capable of generating significant long-term returns. Realizing every child’s right to a life free from violence requires sustained public investment in child protection systems to safeguard them from harm, alongside robust prevention programs that reduce the long-term costs to individuals and society.

In 2018, Ipea and UNICEF Brazil developed an innovative methodology to generate qualified evidence on public spending for children. Since then, the Social Spending on Children and Adolescents (GSCA) Methodology has been refined and applied by the different tiers of government. Although it maps spending across key policy areas, it has not yet been used to analyze, in depth, allocations specifically for the prevention of and response to VAC.

In this context, UNICEF and Ipea are partnering to produce robust and detailed evidence on the economic costs of VAC in Brazil. By quantifying the costs of inaction as well as costs related to prevention and response to VAC, the study will provide essential inputs to raise awareness among policymakers, parliamentarians, and civil society about the magnitude of the problem. In doing so, it aims to strengthen the prioritization of policies for the protection of children and adolescents, optimize resource allocation, and build a solid investment case for ending violence against children and adolescents in Brazil.

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The proposed assignment aims to estimate the direct costs of VAC in Brazil, contributing to the broader analysis of the economic cost of VAC being conducted by UNICEF and IPEA to support evidence-based public policy formulation.

The consultancy will apply the GSCA Methodology to conduct analysis of data from the Federal Government’s public budget and expenditure reports. Additionally, subject to data availability, it will analyze the data on subnational public investments in a selected Brazilian municipality.

It will involve the following expected tasks:

1. Identify public expenditures related to violence prevention and response – the consultancy is expected to identify, within the Federal Budget (OGU), expenditures related to the prevention, protection, and assistance of children and adolescents experiencing violence. This identification should cover programs and investments aimed at promoting rights, strengthening family and community ties, and preventing violence, as well as essential services and policies such as institutional and family care, and medium- and high-complexity services provided by Specialized Social Assistance Reference Center (CREAS).
2. Classify public expenditures according to the GSCA methodology (Ipea/UNICEF, 2022)
3. Select relevant areas and ministries for detailed analysis, subject to data availability
   1. Ministry of Health (MS): hospital admissions and services resulting from violence committed against the population aged 0 to 17.
   2. Ministry of Social Development, Family, and Fight Against Hunger (MDS): funding for medium- and high-complexity services (CREAS and institutional/family care).
   3. Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC): socio-educational measures involving deprivation of liberty and violence-prevention programs.
   4. Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP): actions related to protection and accountability.
   5. Other ministries that maintain cross-cutting programs aimed at preventing and responding to violence against children and adolescents.
4. Quantify and consolidate expenditures - The identified amounts shall be consolidated based on the annual budget execution of each investment, monetarily adjusted to the base year of the research. The result will be an estimate of federal direct costs for violence prevention and response, disaggregated by Ministry, type of activity, and nature of expenditure.
5. Subject to data availability, mapping of state and municipal budget and spending data, as well as the feasibility of estimating the direct costs of VAC in a selected municipality.
6. Elaborate reports consolidating key findings from the analyses and providing evidence-based policy recommendations. All key assumptions and limitations should be clearly described.

The consultant will work in close collaboration with UNICEF and Ipea.

DELIVERABLES

     1. Inception report with identification of VAC related budgetary lines in the Federal Budget (OGU)

1.1. Deliverables/Outputs: Inception report containing a methodology and preliminary identification of the budgetary lines of programs and activities related to VAC.

1.2. Deadline: 60 days from the beginning of contract

1.3. Estimate Budget: 30% of total amount

2. Analytical report on the direct costs of VAC, based on the application of GSCA methodology to the Federal Budget and expenditure data on prevention and response to VAC in Brazil

2.1. Deliverables/Outputs:  Report with complete calculation of direct costs of VAC in Brazil, containing a detailed analysis of the budget allocation and spending on prevention and response to VAC, including disaggregated direct costs of VAC prevention and response by Ministry, type of activity, and nature of expenditure, including key assumptions and eventual methodological adjustments.

2.2. Deadline: 120 days from the beginning of contract

2.3. Estimate Budget: 45% of total amount

3. Executive Summary and PPT presentation with Results; Assessment report on availability of data for application of GSCA methodology to a selected State and a municipality. Executive Summary and PPT presentation with Results

3.1. Deliverables/Outputs: Executive summary and PPT presentation with results of deliverable 2.

Subject to data availability, report assessing municipal and state budget and expenditure databases related to VAC.

3.2. Deadline: 200 days from the beginning of contract

3.3. Estimate Budget: 25% from total amount

DURATION OF CONTRACT: 210 days

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, economics or other humanities. Advanced degree (mater’s or PhD) is considered an asset.
• Minimum of five years of professional experience in public budget and finance, especially programs and actions related to the financing of public policies for children and adolescents.
• Experience in writing texts and analytical reports, including topics related to public budget formulation and execution and public policies for children and adolescents.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information from diverse sources and produce high-quality, evidence-based reports.
• Ability to read and write technical texts in English.
• Proficiency in developing actionable recommendations based on research findings.
• Ability to deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines and manage multiple tasks effectively.

Desirable:

• Knowledge or experience in public budget and finance, especially programs and actions related to the financing of public policies for children and adolescents.
• Knowledge or experience working with Brazilian administrative data, and official household surveys.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Fluency in Portuguese. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are necessary.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

• A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum, administrative cost, travel cost and subsistence costs, as applicable.

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Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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