Child Protection Specialist (Capacity Building of the Justice system), NO-C, Yangon - Myanmar nationals only

Calling applications for upgraded post of Child Protection Specialist (Capacity Building of the Justice System), NO-C, based in Yangon.

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UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

For every child, Protection from all forms of Violence, Abuse and Exploitation.

In recent years, Myanmar has seen an increase in reported cases of girls and boys who experience violence. This is in part due to efforts of the Government and civil society partners to initiate and strengthen referral mechanisms at community level to social work responses. In 2015, following the adoption of the National Social Protection Strategy at the highest level of Government, a formal social work case management system (one of the flagships identified in the national strategy) was established in the Department of Social Welfare (DSW). Increasingly, DSW is recruiting, training and deploying social workers who are assigned to receive and follow up on referrals of violence against children. Despite the limited reach of DSW given its lack of a presence across the country, 1330 cases have been referred to their social work case managers, who are cooperating with local NGOs and line ministries and departments to respond. Increasingly, the social work response of DSW is being linked to a range of needed actions, moving the government and partners away from an issue driven approach to a cross-cutting systems approach that addresses a range of vulnerabilities. Furthermore, ongoing discussions with the Police and Judiciary indicate that increases in child protection cases are recognized as a critical area to strengthen their capacity to respond in coordination with other protection actors and to build trust with communities around the evolving justice responses for children. In Myanmar’s criminal justice system, it is increasingly acknowledged that underlying causes of child offending are often related to psychosocial or socio-economic issues that child and family are facing, necessitating the need for a better partnership with child protection and welfare actors in order to successfully tackle the problem and ensure prevention.  All of these shifts in thinking and public demand have helped demonstrate the need for better specialization of justice system professionals to work on most prevalent issues (including child sexual abuse and GBV cases, prevalent offences committed by children), increase focus on prevention and while doing so, establish systematic cooperation with social work case managers, health system practitioners and providers of specialized services to support girls and boys. Experiences from the previous country programme demonstrate that increased cooperation with UNODC and UNDP on rule of law reform, ensuring that UNICEF is in the lead on issues relating to children should continue.

How can you make a difference?

You will support in the capacity building of the justice sector and focus on promoting specialization of police, judiciary and prosecution. While doing so, the position aims to draw on linkages with the social welfare social work capacity in order to develop a comprehensive child protection system. The position also contributes to the development of legal and policy reforms related to the areas of justice sector capacity building and specialization, and supports shaping of UNICEF’s contributions to broader justice sector and rule of law reforms.

The key expected results of the position:-

• Technical guidance and operational support provided to the police, judiciary and prosecution to ensure capacity building in child protection issues. UNICEF efforts are consistently directed towards supporting progressive specialization of justice and law enforcement systems in child protection.
• Through regular coordination and technical oversight, justice system capacity building efforts are aligned with child care and protection system reforms and lead towards establishment of one child protection system that is able to offer a continuum of child friendly psychosocial protection and justice services for children in contact with the law
• High level legal analysis of various issues related to justice for children and specific child protection cases prepared, and appropriate courses of action identified.
• Technical input provided for legislative review and drafting processes. Reports on realization of the rights of the child prepared.
• Effective support provided to the supervisor to advance a national policy and legal framework on justice for children and capacity development, identify and analyse bottlenecks in children’s access to justice, and prepare recommendations for strategic planning and partnerships.

Your key functions and accountabilities (detailed job description attached):-

1. Support to programme/project development and planning
2. Program management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to program implementation
4. Networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

To qualify as an advocate for every child, you will have…

• An Advanced University degree in international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law and other social science field is required. A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection and/other related areas at the international level some of which preferably were served in a developing country is required. Relevant experience in child protection and related areas, program/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset. Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.
• Law degree and experience of working as a lawyer or a legal researcher in Myanmar will be considered an asset.
• Solid understanding of Myanmar’s criminal justice system and the situation children’s access to justice.
• Demonstrated experience in at least one of the following areas: case work and client representation (child victims or children in the conflict with the law, victims of GBV); conducting legal analysis and high-level policy or advocacy on issues related to realization of the rights of children in contact with the justice system, women’s rights or gender-based violence.
• Fluency in Myanmar and English. Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

This position is classified as “rotational” which means the incumbent is expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty,

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.