Social and Behaviour Chance Communication Consultant for Development of Messages for the Spotlight Initiative

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Background/Purpose of Assignment

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.

The Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria will address the linkages between sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices with sexual and reproductive health and rights. The focus will be on preventing and addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and harmful practices and ensuring access to inclusive, timely, and quality services for victims and survivors. The most vulnerable women and girls, who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, will be specifically targeted and included in all phases of the programme.

The goal of the Initiative is to mobilize, set up and strengthen community/religious structures; engage and conduct community dialogues with key opinion leaders (community, religious, traditional) that can be used as advocacy platforms for messaging and engagement in the promotion of ending VAC and other HP in prioritized states of Adamawa, Ebonyi, Lagos, Cross River and Sokoto.

Prevention and social norms:

Spotlight aims to change social norms and behaviors at community, individual and family levels advocating with political and religious leaders to engage them as positive influencers and champions of non-violence. To ensure sustainability and to break generational transfer of negative norms, Spotlight will target men and boys and work with youth in schools. Spotlight will engage with the media for creative advocacy, capturing local language and context to create public awareness and change negative norms.

Prevention is the nucleus of the Initiative and the comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach to prevention will be based on the following key elements:

Analyzing root causes and risks by examining behavioral factors that lead people to decision-making. Critically examining the behavioral factors that lead people to make decisions, act on them, think about, influence, and relate to one another, and how they develop believes and attitude.

Working with relevant formal and informal institutions that influences these behavioral factors (including beliefs, perceptions and behaviors) as the key custodians of socio-cultural norms. Learning institutions such as academic institutions (primary, secondary and tertiary), training centres e.g. teachers training colleagues, police colleagues, the law school and non-formal institutions e.g. women networks, peer education groups, traditional and religious institutions and council of elders will be targeted to use their platforms to promote equitable social norms and behaviours and non-violence among their subject and worshipers. Media, entertainers and social media influencers will also be engaged as they have a huge impact and potential to change pervasive negative norms, attitudes and behaviors.

Engaging men and boys to become upholders of the rights of women and girls and not perpetrators of VAWG. Male influencers at all levels will be identified as champions in the communities using existing platforms e.g. HeforShe campaign, husband and future husbands’ schools, men and boys’ networks and coalitions. Working with men and boys’ networks and coalitions will support the campaign against GBV/HP, leveraging on existing platforms that target men at the community level.

Transformative change requires empowerment of women and girls to help them live a life of dignity. Thus, women and girls will be supported to access information on their rights including SRHR, human rights, sexuality education, to build networks and promote peer learning and counselling. For those furthest behind, this will be coupled with livelihoods support.

The proposed task will address issues of gender equitable social norms, attitudes and behaviors change at community and individual levels to prevent VAM/C and HP.

UNICEF plans to work with relevant government and Civil Society Organizations including the National Orientation Agency, religious and traditional organizations at Federal and state levels for community mobilization and sensitization to create awareness on the effects of harmful practices and every form of violence against children especially girls as well as to engender positive social norms change.

How can you make a difference?

The Consultants working with partners identified will:

Coordinate a rapid assessment of the social norms attached to violence against women and girls in the six focus states

Coordinate community engagement activities across the six States

Provide monthly reporting on community engagement activities

Facilitate an all-inclusive and collaborative engagement with key stakeholders to design messages aimed at eliminating all kinds of violence against women and girls.

Finalize the design of the materials to print ready stage (artworks and dummies for translation/production):

Support review and adaptation of any existing materials to suit the current objectives of the Spotlight Initiative.

Work with identified graphic designers to design any IEC materials recommended during the message design and materials development workshop/process.

Design drafts of any recommended materials in all forms – print, audio or visual and support the pre-test process in selected sites.

Incorporate all the proposed changes in the materials after the pre-test process.

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

An experienced facilitator with a SBCC background in message design in Communication, Media and Public Relations.

At least Three (3) years progressively responsible professional work experience in advertising and the use of social marketing approaches in messages development and development of IEC materials.

Ability to conceptualize ideas clearly and concisely in written and oral form, innovative, plan and execute ideas.

Fluency in English is desirable. Knowledge of local working language of any other Nigerian languages a plus.

Current knowledge of development issues, strategies as well as programming policies and procedures in international development cooperation.

Proven ability to conceptualize, innovate, plan and execute ideas, as well as to impart knowledge and teach skills.

Communication skills, to work closely with variety of partners, stakeholders and communities at large.

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.

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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