Supporting children in assessing how tourism have impacted their life in Costa Rica and Ecuador

Overview

ECPAT International is seeking an individual consultant or an organization with expertise and experiences in developing participatory processes and related tools for engaging children in assessing strategies and interventions to promote sustainable tourism that protects children from sexual exploitation in Costa Rica and Ecuador, as a pilot for possible replication.

Background and purpose

The ECPAT Secretariat is committed to ensuring rights-based and meaningful participation of children in matters that directly affect them. Tourism brings development opportunities but also brings imbalance of power between travelers and impoverished local communities. With communities financially struggling due to the Covid crisis, the environment has become conducive for both domestic and foreign child sex offenders to access victims more easily, online and offline. Children’s perspectives on protection against violence are critical to create more effective and relevant programs. However, interventions often remain by-and-large adult driven or –led, and strategies are developed to address the issue for children, and not with children.

We are looking for an individual or an organization to support the development of a methodology, process and tools for engaging children in participatory assessments of these strategies and interventions, and to propose a methodology for the co-creation of recommendations by children.

Scope of Work

• Develop the methodology and a process for engaging with children (age 12-18) including but not necessarily children and young people who may be survivors of sexual exploitation, in participatory assessment processes, based on existing best practices, ethically safe, grounded on children’s rights, supported by strong safeguards
• Draft the facilitation guide for the engagement with children in participatory assessment of sustainable tourism that protect children from sexual exploitation, in collaboration with local partners and children as possible, including tools, exercises and facilitation techniques
• Refine the methodology and tools based on feedback and inputs from partners and children
• Develop a process for ideation and co-creation of recommendations by and with children to strengthen programmes and strategies to ensure tourism is ethical, sustainable and safe for children
• Based on participatory evaluation conducted by local partners, produce a package combining lessons learned, processes and tools for replication in other contexts

Deliverables

The total consultancy is estimated to require approximately 25 working days over a period of 3-4 months.

- A proposed process and methodology for engaging with children

- A facilitation guide with session plans, tools, exercises and resources

- A process plan for ideation and co-creation of recommendations

- A package of resources for replication of the approach (to be developed post-implementation in Sept/Oct 2023)

Consultant profile

• Demonstrated experience in participatory assessment process with children
• Experiences in facilitation and resources development for child participatory engagement processes
• Experience with children survivors of sexual exploitation would be an asset
• Understanding of the operating environments of tourism in Costa Rica and Ecuador, including of the dynamics of sexual exploitation in travel and tourism
• The consultant/firm must be able to operate in Spanish

Additional Information

• Expression of interest is open to individual consultants, consortiums, and firms.
• This is a home-based position; the consultant(s) will work from home or own office but should be available online to have meetings with the ECPAT’s team in Bangkok (GMT+7) and local teams in Costa Rica and Ecuador;
• 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 Staff Code of Conduct.

How to apply

Expression of interest: please send to vacancy@ecpat.org

• CV
• A brief proposed work plan and methodology (2 pages maximum)
• Financial proposal

Mention in the subject header: your name and “Child Participation”

Deadline: 7 January 2023, but applicants are encouraged to apply early as applications will be reviewed as they come in.