Home-based: Consultancy to Develop a Briefing Note to support national and international advocacy for ECPAT International’s Access to Justice Initiative

ECPAT International is a global network of organisations working together for the elimination of the sexual exploitation of children (SEC) in all its manifestations i.e. exploitation of children in prostitution, online child sexual exploitation, sale and trafficking of children for sexual purposes, sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism and some forms of such as early and forced marriage. The ECPAT Network currently consists of 124 members working at national and local levels in 104 countries. Our strength lies in the diversity of our membership, collectively and individually working to address the issue. From large national coalitions to small grass-roots initiatives, we are committed to bringing together a broad range of expertise and perspectives to unravel the web that perpetuates this abuse. The ECPAT International Secretariat coordinates the global work of the organisation and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. The Secretariat designs and implements global and regional level programmes, and undertakes programming, advocacy and research and facilitates a range of network initiatives. The current operational budget of ECPAT International Secretariat is about USD 5M, with a team of over 30 persons across the globe.

Background and Rationale: 

The A2J (Access to Justice) Initiative is implemented by ECPAT International in partnership with its Network members in Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Moldova, Nepal, Moldova, Panama, Peru, South Africa, and Uganda, with the support from Bread for the World. Through a legal and policy research and country sessions with frontline professionals from law enforcement, judiciary, child protection and NGOs working directly with child victims of sexual exploitation, ECPAT and its partners identified a number of key challenges child victims of sexual exploitation face in accessing justice in these countries.

Now, ECPAT will support its members and partners in the above countries in advocating with their governments to update relevant laws and to address gaps in implementation of existing laws that will help increase and improve A2J for victims of child sexual exploitation. In addition, ECPAT will implement a component of international advocacy built upon common concerns related to access to justice that have been identified in all countries and that require urgent international attention.

Objective of the Consultancy: 

To develop a Briefing Note highlighting both gaps in legal frameworks and gaps in implementation of existing laws most commonly found in the above-mentioned countries that hamper A2J for victims of child sexual exploitation. To develop this document, the Consultant will be able to use resources and findings from national workshops carried out by ECPAT International in those 10 countries and summarised in related outcome reports. Further available will be 14 country reports from ECPAT’s Disrupting Harm project, 6 reports summarising voices of survivors on online child sexual exploitation and various other resources. The Consultant will also be able to attend a regional workshop ECPAT organises in Nairobi 9-10 May where dedicated discussions with relevant experts on A2J will take place. The consultant is expected to collaborate closely with another ongoing consultancy commissioned by ECPAT that is developing key advocacy and campaigning messages related to A2J, and that will support and facilitate the practical application of the findings in the Briefing Note by ECPAT members around the world.

Expected Deliverables: 

1. Attend ECPAT’s regional meeting in Nairobi on 9-10 May 2023 to take notes and extract key issues and learnings on the discussions related to A2J
2. Provide a short summary report of the event.
3. One single consolidated and concise document in English language (the Briefing Note) highlighting the main impediments for victims of child sexual exploitation in accessing justice this project has identified in both legal frameworks and their implementation in the 10 countries.
4. An analysis of the sum of the voices of survivors and their perspectives on A2J captured in different ECPAT reports such as from the Disrupting Harm project, the Voices of Survivors series and other resources.

Timetable: 

The assignment is estimated at around 20 working days and will be carried out in May 2023. A detailed plan and timeline will be defined and agreed with the Consultant at the start of the assignment.

Consultant Profile: 

• Higher academic degree (Masters or equivalent) in Law and related disciplines.
• Sound knowledge in International Human Rights Law, ion particular related to the child protection specific provisions.
• Knowledge of the sexual exploitation of children issue.
• Demonstrated experience in similar previous assignments.
• Excellent English verbal and writing skills.

Additional Information: 

• This is a home-based position using own equipment and communication tools of the consultant.
• The consultant should be available for frequent online calls for the Bangkok time zone
• The Consultant is expected to act at all times in a manner consistent with the values of ECPAT International and in compliance with the organisation’s policies and procedures including Child Safeguarding Policy and the Code of Conduct.

For any further information, please connect to Fabio González Flórez, A2J Project lead, fabiog@ecpat.org.

How to Apply: 

Please send CV and short cover email, including a brief proposition of your approach and technical proposal, indication of expected daily fee to vacancy@ecpat.org with copy to fabiog@ecpat.org. 

Deadline: There is no specific deadline to this consultancy, but given the urgency of this assignment, ECPAT will process applications as they come in.

ECPAT International is committed to keeping children safe. The selection process reflects our commitment to the safeguarding of children.