Child Protection Mapping Consultant at Girl Effect

Department: Safeguarding
Vacancy Type: Consultancy
Contract: Maximum of 10 working days within a one month period.

Job Description

• We're looking for a Consultant on a contract basis to help us map the child protection context in Nigeria and effectively gain a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the services available to girls.

Objectives

• Provide an overview of the child protection context in Nigeria in order that Girl Effect can respond appropriately to any protection concerns that arise
• Identify a limited number of vetted protection and information services so that Girl Effect Nigeria can sign post children to accessible and child-friendly services whenever abuse or harm is identified

Key Questions
Legal Context:

• What is the definition of a child in national and state laws (age of majority; sexual consent; marriage; criminal responsibility)?
• How is abuse defined in national and state laws (sexual abuse; physical abuse; maltreatment; emotional abuse; neglect; sexual exploitation; trafficking; commercial exploitation & child labour)?
• How does the customary law/practice define abuse? How are adolescent girls particularly at risk?
• How is abuse responded to within the customary law/practice? Are there particular barriers facing adolescent girls?
• What are the main protection risks and issues facing children in the six geo-political zones parts of Nigeria, including details of commonplace/ cultural accepted practices that may be harmful? How are adolescent girls particularly at risk?
• What are the penalties for the different forms of abuse & how strictly are they enforced?
• Is there any legislation in place related to digital privacy, digital data collection and digital safety or on-line protection?
• Is there any legislation in place at national and state level which provides welfare/protection of girls and/or frameworks that describe policy/practice on child protection?

Statutory Service Provision:

• What national and state (top 5 per national and state) agencies have statutory responsibility for children and/or child protection (welfare services; police; health; other)?
• How child friendly[1] and effective are these services (accessibility; cost; effectiveness of response)? Are there any agencies focusing on girls and women only?
• What barriers exist to prevent children accessing these services (costs; cultural norms; attitudes to reporting)? Are there particular barriers facing adolescent girls?
• Do referrals to statutory agencies present any risks to children (reprisal; re-victimisation; other)? Are there any specific risks for adolescent girls?
• Is there any stigmatization associated with those who access these referral services?

Non-Statutory Service Provision:

• What are the agencies providing national and state level child protection/case management services (selected based on service quality, reach & established networks in country)?  What services do they provide and what are their referral criteria, including costs? How have they been vetted (by who, when, against what criteria)?
• Are there helpline services (national and state level) available to support children at risk of abuse of harm? What is their reach, referral criteria, costs? How have these services been vetted (by who, when, against what criteria)?
• Is there an on-line service directory of vetted child protection and related services? How are services selected and vetted? How is the information kept up to date?
• Are there informal or cultural safeguarding process/methods communities use? Are there particular barriers stopping adolescent girls from accessing these?

Criminal Investigation/Prosecution- Police and Judiciary:

• What is Nigeria’s position on investigation of criminal assault against children and the likelihood of prosecution of such offences? How does this defer at state level?

Methodology

• Desk top review
• Key informant interviews to include statutory agencies, key NGO providers

Key Deliverables

• Inception meeting with Girl Effect
• A comprehensive methodology for the assignment and detailed work plan with timelines based on the inception meeting
• Develop data collection tools/ vetting framework
• Draft report for Girl Effect review and feedback
• Final report including a 2-page executive summary, no longer than 20 pages
• A summary brief (in PowerPoint) containing key findings
• A detailed and verifiable contact details of identified national and state level child protection services/helpline services