International Communication Consultant - Violence Against Girls and Women in Nigeria at UNICEF

Job Number: 526831
Location: Nigeria
Work Type: Consultancy

Background
Violence against women and girls in Nigeria is widespread and exists in all forms in public and private spheres.  According to the 2014 Violence Against Children Survey (VACS), one in four girls, one in two girls and one in six girls have experienced sexual, physical and emotional violence respectively. Domestic violence remains pervasive (16% intimate partner violence prevalence rate) while 30% of women aged 15-49 have experienced sexual abuse (33% in urban and 24% in rural areas) (NDHS 2013). Moreover, out of the 10.5 million out-of-school children, two-thirds are girls and statistics reveal that by the age of 16, 21% of adolescent girls are either pregnant or have given birth.

Violence can take many forms, including physical, sexual and emotional violence, and varies in severity. While both boys and girls may experience violence, being a girl presents unique vulnerabilities – some with consequences that can last a lifetime. Gender discrimination, norms and practices mean that adolescent girls are likely to experience certain forms of violence, such as sexual violence, at much higher rates than boys and to be exposed to certain harmful practices, notably child marriage and female genital mutilation.

Globally, Nigeria accounts for the third highest number of women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), reported at 25 percent prevalence and  has the largest number of child brides in Africa and one of the highest prevalence rates in the world: 23 million  (or 43 percent of girls) married before age 18, and 17 percent married before they turn 15. These harmful practices occur in a context of limited knowledge and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services, with complications of early child bearing (maternal mortality ratios is at 576 per 100,000) and obstructed labor such as obstetric fistula which affect an estimated 20,000 women and girls every year.

The Spotlight Initiative (SI) is a global partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls  in support of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. The Initiative  was launched in September 2017 by the UN Secretary-General and the EU High Representative and Vice President (HRVP). The Initiative provides a model for partnerships with donors, civil society, and the UN to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in a comprehensive manner leveraging comparative expertise. SDG 5 and the achievement of gender equality are placed at the center of efforts (alongside Goal 16) with the aim to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of all goals. In Nigeria, the Initiative is led by UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF and UNESCO.

UNICEF’s mandate for the protection of children from any form of violence aligns with the goal of the Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women and girls and ending harmful practices. As the implementation of SI activities to address all forms of violence against women and girls in Adamawa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Lagos and Sokoto States and FCT is underway,  there is a need to develop appropriate advocacy material that can be used to document the types of violence women and girls are subject to, raise awareness on the issues as well as mobilize children, communities, religious, traditional and political leaders as well as other change makers to prioritize ending VAWG and HP by investing in prevention and responsive services

Rationale/Justification
In order to advance the agenda of ending violence against girls and women, there is a need to create awareness. It is essential to break the silence and to lift violence against women, girls and children in general, as a high priority public issue.

Ending violence against adolescent girls involves action at every level. Governments, the private sector, civil society organizations, communities and ordinary individuals all have a role to play in stopping the cycle of violence and in contributing to the empowerment of adolescent girls.

In addition, UNICEF Child Protection has been focusing on children in general and has developed little communication material on girls and women specifically so this will be an opportunity to provide a special focus on violence against girls within the child protection portfolio.

The International Consultant will travel to three of the focus states and will develop a package of material in the form of video profiles, photos and human interest stories to be featured at high-level events and targeted to key stakeholders for global advocacy on the subject by national and international media. The collection of content will also be customized so it can be used in community activities and discussions about violence against girls in schools.

A series of engaging profiles of girls who have been impacted by violence will be produced. These video portraits will be based on interviews with the girls but will draw upon a range of images, drawings, music and information to succinctly tell their story in a moving way. The stories will be selected to reflect the geographic diversity of the project, as well as the wide range of issues girls face in Nigeria.

This content collection, in the various formats of videos, photos and recordings, will be used for a wide range of activities to support the programme including advocacy through mainstream media and social media, to stimulate community discussions, as school resources and for donor briefs, reports as well as additional resource mobilization.

The consultant will report to the Child Protection System Strengthening Manager and will work closely with the UNICEF Spotlight Initiative teams based in Abuja and in the field offices as well as the media/communication coordinator consultant recruited for the project to ensure a harmonized and coordinated approach to the advocacy efforts to eliminate violence against girls in Nigeria.

How can you make a difference?
There are four objectives under communication, the international consultancy will focus on telling the stories of girls by bringing the perspectives of other actors beyond girls themselves (men, boys, services, institutions, etc.) as means of creating material that can personally engage:

Objective 1:

• Raise awareness of gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls and its prevalence in Nigeria: By publicizing data and supportive facts, creative messaging to key audiences, exhibiting thought leadership on violence against women and girls.

Objective 2:

• Illustrate and promote the impact and results of Spotlight-supported interventions: by finding, sharing and promoting the stories of women and girls whose lives have been positively transformed by Spotlight-supported interventions.

Objective 3:

• Provide communications for development support to strengthen Spotlight Initiative’s programme design and implementation: by influencing the creation and delivery of behaviour-change and culture-shift activities, campaigns and initiatives, media sensitization and training.

Objective 4:

• Ensure visibility for the Spotlight Initiative, its donors and partners: By coordinating consistent and coherent branding, high-profile endorsements from social influencers, top-tier media placements, organizing publicity events and campaign.

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

• Advanced University Degree in Journalism/Mass Communications or related fields
• A minimum of eight years of experience in writing, editing and rereading original content for a wide range of formats and media;
• Significant experience with all aspects of production of high-end photography and video production;
• Demonstrated experience in producing original multimedia content (including text) in English and French for a wide range of formats and media;
• A solid knowledge and understanding of the international development environment and related reporting styles and requirements;
• Experience in the field of prevention and response to violence against children is desirable;
• Good knowledge and experience with social and development issues relevant to the themes covered;
• Proven experience in visual and written storytelling;
• Proven experience in international media placement (English and French);
• Excellent understanding of new technologies and digital platforms;
• Broad portfolio of creative and high-quality work, and reputable clients;
• Ability to deliver timely and high-quality products under tight deadlines;
• Good interpersonal skills, including initiative, flexibility and patience;
• Organizational and coordination skills;
• The ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines to deliver products on time;
• Experience with UNICEF is desirable
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

• UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

Competencies:

• View our competency framework at: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf