Consultant Child Labour-Vacancy in UN Children's Fund Home based in USA

Post:Consultant Child Labour- Child Protection Section
Organization:UN Children's Fund
Location:Home based
TERMS OF REFERENCE Child Protection Section NYHQ
Preparation for the 3rd Global Conference on Child Labour

    Background
Millions of children work to help their families in ways that are neither harmful nor exploitative. Children’s participation in work that does not affect their health or development and that does not interfere with their education is generally regarded as something positive. However, UNICEF estimates that at least 150 million children aged 5-14 in developing countries, or nearly 1 in 6 children in this age group, are involved in child labour. Child labour involves work that is unacceptable because the children involved are too young and should be in school, or because even though they have attained the minimum age for admission to employment, the work that they do is unsuitable for a person below the age of 18. In its worst forms, children are exposed to hazards or risks to their health and development or subjected to very serious forms of exploitation, such as forced labour, trafficking, and sexual exploitation. Child labour deprives children of the right to a healthy childhood, as well as to their physical and emotional integrity. It also robs children of the opportunity for an education, perpetuating poverty, and undermining development. A 2010 ILO report noted a decline in child labour in the Asia-Pacific region and in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the decrease was at a slower rate, especially in hazardous work. On the other hand, the report noted an increase of child labour in sub-Saharan Africa. This poses a challenge towards achieving the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016. The report highlighted that most child labourers continue to work in agriculture and that only one in five working children are in paid employment. In 2010, a number of government delegations and representatives from civil society, UN and other inter-governmental organisations came together at the Hague Global Child Labour Conference to discuss and agree on efforts to increase efforts to accelerate action towards the elimination of the worst forms of child labour by 2016 – a goal which was set out in the 2010 Global Action Plan. The outcome of the conference was the adoption of the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, calling for preventive and time-bound measures and to make available adequate resources to eliminate all forms of child labour. As a follow-up to the Hague Conference, the Government of Brazil will host in October 2013 the 3rd Global Conference on Child Labour where discussions will be held around strategies for accelerating the pace of eradication of the worst forms of child labour. The meeting will aim to take stock of measures implemented under the ILO Convention No. 182 and to assess possible obstacles to the eradication of the worst forms child labour. 2. Purpose and activities

Under the direct supervision of the Lead of the Social Norms and Protection of Violence Team, the consultant will support UNICEF activities in preparation for the Brazil World Conference, including: - Develop a discussion paper prior to the conference divided into three parts:

o The first would focus on i) the issue and the extent of child labour, including the worst forms, based on available estimates from UNICEF and ILO sources; ii) drivers of child labour, including the role of social and cultural practices and norms and promotion of social change; iii) and addressing child labour in the context of UNICEF’s strategy to promote integrated child protection systems; iv) examples of UNICEF programmes addressing child labour.

o The second part would focus on i) advances in harmonizing global estimates on child labour and measurement of hazardous unpaid household chores; ii) child labour in domestic work and advances in the international legal framework; iii) the role of the private sector and corporate social responsibility.

o The third part would include i) summary/conclusion of the main findings; ii) recommendations for the way forward; iii) key messages for advocacy purposes.

    Develop in 3 two-page technical/advocacy briefs on i) the issue of child labour; its drivers, main strategies and approaches to address it and examples of UNICEF programmes; ii) child labour in domestic work; hazardous household chores; and global measurement of child labour; and iii) key messages and recommendations for the way forward. The consultant will be expected to:
    Conduct a desk review for the preparation of the discussion paper and issue briefs;
    Liaise with and collect inputs from the Child Protection Teams, in particular the Social Welfare and Justice Systems Team; the Education Section, the Social Protection Team, the Statistics and Monitoring Section (DPS); the Private Fundraising and Partnership Section; and Understanding Children’s Work (UCW);
    Submit a final discussion paper and issue briefs.

    Expected deliverables
The assignment is expected to result in the following:

i) Detailed outline of discussion paper and issue briefs; ii) Draft discussion paper iii) Draft issue briefs; iv) Final version of paper and briefs with comments incorporated.

    Duration and timeframe
The estimated duration of the contract will be 25 days, from 5 August 2013 to 30 September 2013.

Outputs/Deliverables Estimated duration (per working day) Deadline Detailed outline of discussion paper and issue briefs 3 working days 8 August 2013 Draft discussion paper 15 working days 6 September 2013 Draft issue briefs 3 working days 18 September 2013 Final paper and briefs 4 working days 30 September 2013 Total 25 working days

    Key skills, technical background and experience required
i) Advanced university degree in social sciences or relevant related discipline; ii) A minimum of 8 years of professional experience working at the national and international levels in Child Protection or related field; iii) Good understanding of child protection and child labour; iv) Experience with or knowledge of UNICEF policies and programmes is a plus; v) Excellent analytical, communication and writing skills; vi) Fluency in English and working knowledge of French or Spanish is a plus; vii) Ability to work independently and effectively in a multi-cultural environment.

    Location

The consultant will be home-based. No travel is expected.
How to apply:
Closing date: 23 Jul 2013
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV and P 11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html) to pdconsultants@unicef.org with subject line “Child Labour - Child Protection Section” by 23 July 2013. Please indicate your ability, availability and daliy rate to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications without a rate quoted will not be considered.
http://reliefweb.int/job/588844/consultant-child-labour-child-protection-section