Thailand: Violence against Women (VAW) Data Specialist

Background

The advancement of gender equality and women and girl’s empowerment is one of the four outcomes of the Regional Programme of UNFPA in Asia and the Pacific in line with UNFPA’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017. Key priorities highlighted in the Strategic Plan include:

• Outcome 1: Increased availability and use of integrated sexual and reproductive health services that are gender-responsive and meet human rights standards for quality of care and equity in access.

• Outcome 3: Advanced gender equality, women and girls’ empowerment, and reproductive rights, including for the most vulnerable and marginalized women, adolescents and youth.

· Output 8: Increased capacity of partners to design and implement comprehensive programmes to reach marginalized adolescent girls including those at risk of child marriage.

· Output 10: Increased capacity to prevent gender-based violence and harmful practices, and enable the delivery of multi-sectoral services including in humanitarian settings.

In line with the priorities set out in the strategic plan, UNFPA APRO has identified the following specific priorities for this Regional Programme:

1) Technical assistance to countries to strengthen multi-sectoral response to violence against women and girls, particularly through health sector,

2) Strengthen national and regional capacity to collect data on violence against women

3) Support to countries to increase capacity to design and implement programmes to address child marriage including adolescent pregnancy.

Violence against Women Prevalence Data

According to WHO, 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner or someone other than a partner in their lifetime. In Asia-Pacific, survey data thus far shows that the proportion of women who report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of a spouse or other partner ranges from 14 to 68 percent in different country contexts.

To date, in Asia-Pacific, at least twenty countries have undertaken prevalence studies on violence against women (VAW) using the methodology developed for the WHO multi-country study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence. In most of these countries, UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) has served as technical partner to governments and National Statistics Offices, helping to ensure ethical and sound data collection, analysis and interpretation of data on VAW, in line with international standards. UNFPA APRO also supports the collection and analysis of data using other internationally recognized methods such as Domestic Violence module of the Demographic and Health Survey.

There is a growing demand for reliable and comparable prevalence data on VAW since the adoption of standard indicators for measuring VAW by the UN Statistical Commission in 2011. This has only increased with the adoption by Member States of a specific target to “Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in private and public spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation”, under the Sustainable Development Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (target 5.2) and the associated two indicators on VAW.

Building on UNFPA’s longstanding track record of supporting data collection on VAW, the Australian DFAT and UNFPA APRO have partnered to strengthen sustainable capacities to measure VAW in Asia and the Pacific region. Key features of this 3.5 year (2016-2019) initiative include developing and rolling out an up-to-date curriculum on measuring VAW, tailored support to national data collection activities and the establishment of a pool of experienced gender professionals and researchers who are able to support such data collection.

UNFPA APRO Gender Team currently comprises of Gender and Human Rights Technical Advisor, Technical Specialist on Violence against Women, Senior International Violence against Women Researcher and Programme Specialist.

Purpose of consultancy

The objective of the consultancy is to support UNFPA APRO’s ongoing work on strengthening national and regional capacity to measure violence against women (VAW).

Scope of work

Under the supervision of APRO Gender and Human Rights Advisor, the consultant will be expected to work on the following:

i) Support UNFPA Country Offices in conducting secondary data analysis of violence against women studies;

ii) Develop knowledge products (including country reports, country fact sheets or any other product as discussed with APRO Gender team), some of which will be based on analysis of datasets from existing VAW studies in the region;

iii) Backstop International Researcher on VAW to support research teams in countries planning or undertaking VAW surveys.

iv) Provide statistical and sampling advice to UNFPA COs and National Statistics Offices that are undertaking VAW survey.

v) Support editing and finalization of VAW survey reports for countries undertaking such exercise.

Key deliverables will be discussed and agreed upon once the consultant is on board but are anticipated to include the following:

• Review of country secondary data analysis report (e.g. Cambodia)

• Country fact sheets on VAW data (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Timor Leste, Pacific Island Countries)

• Country missions for support to ongoing and upcoming VAW surveys (e.g. Indonesia, Mongolia).

• Review of questionnaires and VAW data documents for preparation of upcoming VAW surveys (e.g. Mongolia).

• Final edits of country reports from VAW surveys (e.g. Indonesia).

• Additional knowledge products as needed and as feasible.

Duration and working schedule

The duration of the consultancy will be 60 work days up to 31 December, 2016. APRO will hold monthly calls with the Consultant and identify required dates of engagement for that month depending on the expected deliverable, not exceeding a total of 60 days within 2016.

Depending on the quality of the consultant’s work and the emerging need of the UNFPA-DFAT project on VAW data, the consultancy may be extended beyond 2016 throughout the period of the project (2016-2019) with supplementary work days to cover additional deliverables.

The consultant is expected to work from home, in close consultation with UNFPA APRO International Researcher on Violence against Women. The consultant will report directly to the APRO Gender Advisor on the deliverables.

Monitoring and progress control

While some of the deliverables are identified in advance, others are on need basis as requested by Country Offices. APRO Gender team will hold monthly meeting with the consultant to discuss the deliverables for the month.

APRO Gender/ Human Rights Adviser will be the overall manager of the consultant. The consultant will work in closely with APRO International Researcher on Violence against Women.

Expected travel

Depending on the requirements of the assignment, the following trips may be requested:

1. 2 trips to Bangkok, Thailand

2. 1 trip to Ulan Batar, Mongolia

3. 1 trip to Dili, Timor Leste

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies

The consultant should be an experienced statistician with at least 10 years of professional experience. The consultant should have at least 5 years’ experience in leading and implementing quantitative social/health/economic surveys or experience working on violence against women data. The consultant is expected to have excellent command of English and demonstrated ability to interpret statistical results into language that enables using the survey results for policy advocacy. Demonstrated understanding of gender and violence against women, and its causes and manifestations in the Asia and the Pacific region, as well as previous experience working with National Statistics Offices would be desirable. The ability to meet deadlines, work with minimum supervision, and deliver quality products is essential. Experience in the UN system and/or UNFPA, and knowledge of the Asia Pacific region, are desirable. Ability to travel is crucial. Availability of necessary software for statistical analysis (eg SPSS) is desirable.

Candidates should submit the following documents:

1. An application letter which states the candidate’s motivation to apply for this post

2. A curriculum vitae, and

3. A completed United Nations Personal History (P 11)

All the above documents must be sent by e-mail to vac-robangkok@unfpa.org .

The P11 is available on the UNFPA websites at http://www.unfpa.org/resources/p11-un-personal-history-form

Please quote the Vacancy number VA JID 1608 - Violence against Women (VAW) Data Specialist. The deadline for application is: 28 July 2016, at 15:00 Bangkok time.

UNFPA will only be able to respond to those applications in which UNFPA has a further interest.

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, respect for diversity, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balances gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply.

We offer an attractive remuneration package commensurate with the level of the position. Notice: There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.