Background information
Feminist analysis and activism have been instrumental in achieving gains in women’s rights, including action to address violence against women and girls (VAWG). Over the past two decades, strong local, national, and international women’s movements have brought VAWG, including in humanitarian settings, into the public domain as a development, public health, and international peace and security and women’s rights issue. This international attention focused on VAWG in conflicts and humanitarian crisis has in turn resulted in targeted humanitarian initiatives and international commitments. For example, in 2000 the UN Security Council adopted UN Resolution 1325, which was a milestone. This is a formal acknowledgement that women are both disproportionately affected by armed conflict and also have a key role to play in preventing and resolving conflicts.
Despite these gains, critical conversations about the best ways to prevent violence against women and girls in humanitarian settings is still needed. This was explored through the “Good in Theory, Harder in Practice: Are Efforts to Engage Men as Allies Helping or Harming Women?” panel during the SGBV Donor Conference in Oslo in May of 2019. The discussion surrounded the ongoing conversations about current approaches to engaging men as allies in ending men’s violence against women and girls. Informed by the experiences of the panellists and current feminist thinking, the panel offered critical reflections on what donors and practitioners should consider when funding, designing, and implementing work intended to reduce or end VAWG in humanitarian emergencies. Based on the experience of panellists, some of the key themes that emerged were the following:
- It is not sufficient to simply consult women on work being done to engage men as allies in ending SGBV, they must be involved as they define it, “no solutions for us, without us;”
- It is essential to connect the outcomes of these male engagement programs to the improvement in the lives of women and girls.
- Ensure that programming with men and boys does not erase, minimize, or run parallel to work that women have been leading for decades.
- Move away from programmatic efforts and campaigns that position men as ‘champions’ for choosing to engage in gender equitable behaviours or for not using violence. As these notions unintentionally send a message that men are champions for ending violence against women and girls.
- Instead move to an ‘Allyship’ framework whereby women and girls decide on what constitutes an ally in work to end the violence they face daily; and
- We must support programming with Theories of Change that explicitly name perpetrators and victims/survivors.
We acknowledge that the Aid Sector may unintentionally reinforce, rather than dismantle patriarchy, by framing work with men and boys as imperative while saying that prioritizing women and girls is anti-gender. The goal of this technical resource package must be focused on how we prioritize accountability for the men who chose to use violence against women and girls, even in situations where men themselves are impacted by conflict.
In response to the above, NCA in partnership with HIAS, has developed a draft version of a technical resource package focused on engaging men through a process of social norms change, in order to reduce the risk of VAWG in humanitarian settings. Included in this draft resource package is a literature review, a Theory of Change (ToC) and curriculum. NCA and HIAS are now seeking to revise and finalize the draft resource package and to develop a facilitators manual. These resources will focus on reducing risk and mitigating consequences related to three forms of GBV in humanitarian emergencies: sexual violence, interpersonal violence, and forced marriage
Women and girls are often required to gain permission from their husband, a male family member or a male elder, before being allowed to access critical health and psychosocial services. In addition, social consequences such as stigma and shame are exacerbated by deeply embedded patriarchal notions held by men about women’s honour and women as property. Men’s violence harms women, girls, men and boys and the male privilege means men have a key role to play in ensuring survivors can access services and are accepted back into families and communities after experiencing sexual violence. Thus, work with men in humanitarian settings should focus on reducing women and girl’s risk to violence and ensuring survivors are supported in accessing services and being accepted without stigma by the community.
As resources and attention turn to preventing men’s violence, it is critical that those efforts are: women and survivor centred; done in consultation with feminist networks from the Global South; guided by clear theories of change informed by an existing evidence base; complement ongoing work to improve response to survivors; and is supported by basic principles of accountability.
Overall contract objective:
Lead the revision and refinement of an existing NCA/HIAS draft feminist-informed intervention and curriculum to engage men and boys to prevent violence against women and girls.
The consultancy will be divided in two parts, and NCA will at this stage only commit to Part A due to the prevailing travel restrictions related to COVID-19.
Purpose:
It is expected that the existing draft Theory of Change, intervention framework including curriculum, monitoring plan, and training plan, are revised, further developed, finalised and tested, in order to address GBV against women and girls through prevention and social norms change work with men. The Theory of Change will be specific to working with men in humanitarian emergencies and will focus on reducing the risk of violence by influencing specific attitudes and beliefs related to IPV, Forced Marriage and Stigma. Curriculum development will focus on engaging men in concrete steps to change unequal power relations.
The consultant will have access to all information collected through the original development of the draft resource package, including information collected through community consultations and consultations with feminist organisations and activists. The consultant is not expected to develop a literature review but use an existing literature review that has been developed by NCA/HIAS. This information will help inform the ToC, programming principles, tools and ensure women and girls are cantered when engaging men in different phases of humanitarian emergencies.
The Theory of Change, curriculum and technical resources package will be piloted in 2 countries where existing GBViE programming are on-going, i.e. Colombia, and Nigeria. Although piloting is expected for 2020, this might be delayed given the current COVID-19 situation. This will inform the humanitarian community in what should be adopted in terms of work with men and the broader community on how to address GBV in both acute and protracted emergencies.
Humanitarian organizations, multi-lateral and bilateral donors, local NGOs and women-headed grass root groups know that more can be done to keep women and girls safe in humanitarian emergencies. The power imbalance created by patriarchy must be considered in any intervention that is meant to make women and girls safer. A key part of that safety requires men to start thinking and acting differently. This project keeps women and girls centred while creating space to develop appropriate interventions for working with men. This will be a significant contribution to practitioners, policy makers and others involved in responding to humanitarian emergencies.
Deliveries and reporting on these:
The scope of the services includes all aspects necessary in order to revise, further develop and refine an existing draft ToC and an intervention framework suitable to a humanitarian context, from conducting extensive theoretical analysis of existing materials to the planning and development of a technical resource package. The project will be developed with women and girls at the centre while incorporating principles of accountability
Deliverable A
A1. Inception report
Consultant will submit an initial inception report within one weeks of signing the contract. The inception report must demonstrate a detailed understanding/interpretation of the TOR with a detailed roadmap on the methodology for carrying out the assignment. It should include, at a minimum, data collection and analysis methodologies, and clearly outlined approaches to the activities and deliverables, a work plan and implementation schedule, as agreed upon with NCA and HIAS. The Inception Report should be delivered 3 days after signing of the contract.
A2. Theory of Change, which includes a corresponding visual and narrative explanation
Consultant is expected to develop a global Theory of Change (ToC). The consultant should revise and finalize the existing draft ToC and incorporate information found in NCA/HIAS literature review. At a minimum the ToC should include, key stakeholders and expected changes – outcomes, main project outputs and links/influences with outcomes, assumptions, and risks. The ToC must be easily adaptable to local contexts but will function as the guiding ToC at global level. It should be delivered as a 5-7-page narrative explaining the ToC and should be accompanied by a one power point slide illustrating the ToC. Final form and length to be discussed and agreed with HIAS and NCA. The work is carried out at the supplier’s place of choice (not at NCA offices), and through country/regional face-to-face and remote consultations. A draft should be delivered after 2 weeks after the contract commences and the final versions by September 30th
A3. Feminist informed curriculum on engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women and girls
The consultant is expected to revise and refine NCA’s draft feminist informed curriculum on engaging men and to prevent violence against women and girls, in a manner that is informed and led by women and girls, but where men and boys’ actions are accountable to women and girls. The curriculum will include up to, 8-10 sessions and must correspond to the results framework for the project, with clear objectives and content to support objectives. The work is carried out at the supplier’s place of choice (not at NCA offices). It is hoped that the curriculum will be piloted and revised after the pilot. Deadline for submitting draft is 5 weeks after the contract commences and the final version by September 30th.
A4. Facilitators manual on engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women and girls
The consultant is expected to develop a facilitators manual on how to implement the curriculum at the supplier’s place of choice (not at NCA offices), The manual should be no more than 40 pages, with final content and length to be agreed with HIAS and NCA. Deadline for submitting draft is 7 weeks after the contract commences and the final versions by September 30th.
The technical resource package will be developed through dialogue and consultative process with staff at NCA/HIAS country offices and NCA/HIAS technical committees.
Deliverable B:
B1. Facilitate a webinar on the technical resource package
The consultant is responsible for ensuring that all materials are reviewed and available prior to the webinar, including:
- Presentations with talking points
- Discussion guide
- Methodology for how to carry out the webinar – e.g. have a plan for how potential group work is going to take place, have a plan for how to manage questions etc. during the webinar, adjust training based on type of participants during the webinar (if the webinar is taking place during Covid-19 restrictions, then it is likely that only Programme Managers and higher level staff will be able to participate)
B2. Travel to undertake training of the facilitator’s manual at NCA country offices (2 trips in total)
The consultant will provide training and support to two country offices, Colombia (Bogota) and Nigeria. The trainings will be on how to use the curricula and how to do programming. The trainings will last for one week each (five working days). NCA head office staff will also take part and will cofacilitate the trainings with the consultant. NCA will organise training facilities and other practicalities
The consultant is responsible for ensuring that all remote logistics are taken care of, such as:
- All materials for printing are shared 3 weeks prior to the training
- List of all materials needed is shared 3 weeks prior to the training
- Agree on what needs to potentially be translated before the training, and provide such materials on a date agreed with relevant country to ensure sufficient translation time**
- Training report per country
The consultant is expected to do weekly updates on progress on the deliverables, through skype and emails. The consultant is expected to deliver final products by September 30, 2020.
Timing, logisitics and facilities
It is desirable that the consultant can start immediately, or as soon as possible. The period of implementation is from July 2020 till September 30, 2020. The consultant will carry out some of the work at the supplier’s place of choice (not at NCA offices).
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Professional experience related to GBV prevention and response programming in conflict and post conflict settings.
- Solid experience in curriculum development and training particularly on developing theories of change and work relating to prevention of violence against women and girls by engaging men and boys.
- GBViE programming.
- Knowledge of international humanitarian standards for GBV prevention, protection, and response.
- Experience with developing and implementing GBV programmes, particularly monitoring and evaluation; and
- Experience with working with civil society actors and faith-based actors.**
