Request For Proposals Are Invited For Pacific Regional Faith Organization To Undertake A Mapping Of Faith Based Responses To Violence Against Women Children And Addressing Gender Equality Ge And Child Protection

Request For Proposals Are Invited For Pacific Regional Faith Organization To Undertake A Mapping Of Faith Based Responses To Violence Against Women Children And Addressing Gender Equality Ge And Child Protection In The Pacific RegionDeadline 22 Jul 2019 00 00 Gmt 13 00 Auckland Wellington Fiji Kamchatka BackgroundViolence Against Women And Children Vawc Persists In Every Country In The World As A Pervasive Violation Of Human Rights And A Major Impediment To Achieving Gender Equality And The Fulfilment Of ChildrenS Right To Protection Vawc Is Both A Cause And Consequence Of Gender Inequality And The Lower Status Of Women And Children In Other Words Vawc Is A Central Barrier To Gender Equality And Child Protection And A Cause Of Widespread Violation Of Human Rights Across The World Global Evidence Shows That Countries With Improved Gender Equality Have Better Social And Economic Development Outcomes 1 Much Work Has Been Done To Understand The Nature Extent And Consequences Of Vawg In The Pacific Region As Evidenced By The Family Health And Safety Studies Fhss Conducted By Unfpa And The Pacific Community Across 11 Pacific Countries2 The Fhss Shows High Rates Of Violence Against Women E G 68 Of Women In Kiribati And 64 Of Women In Fiji And Solomon Islands Experience Physical Or Sexual Violence By An Intimate Partner Over Their Lifetime In Solomon Islands 37 Of Women Report That They Had Been Sexually Abused Before Age 15 The Most Common Perpetrators Identified Were Boyfriend 36 Stranger 24 Family Member 20 And Male Friend Of Family 16 Many Incidents Of Sexual Violence Involve Young Girls And Children Living With Extended Families E G Children From Outer Islands Sent To Live In Urban Centres To Complete Secondary Education Who Are Particularly Vulnerable To Sexual Abuse Also Across The Pacific Men Outnumber Women In Paid Employment Outside The Agricultural Sector By Approximately Two To One 2 Women Also Make Up Just 7 4 Per Cent Of National Parliamentarians In The Pacific The Lowest Rate In The World Compared To A Global Average Of Around 23 3 Per Cent Given The High Rates Of Intimate Partner Violence In The Region A Significant Number Of Children Are Witness To Violence Are Likely To Be Abused By Their MotherS Violent Intimate Partner And May Be Neglected And Or Abused By Their Mother As A Result Of The Traumatic Experience She Is Going Through Furthermore Demographic And Health Surveys Dhs Conducted In Solomon Islands And Vanuatu Indicate That 85 Of Children 2 14 Years Of Age Are Subjected To Violent Discipline Including Physical Punishment And Psychological Aggression And Child Protection Baseline Studies Conducted By Unicef In 5 Countries Show Rates Of Physical Punishment Ranging From 68 To 81 Dhs In 8 Countries Show High Rates Of Children Not Living With Both Parents From 28 To 45 And Of Households Raising Children Who Are Not Their Own From 24 To 48 A Situation Which As Mentioned Above In Relation To Sexual Abuse Of Young Girls Heightens The Risk Of Child Neglect Abuse And Exploitation DhsS Indicate That In 5 Countries Between 20 And 25 Of Girls Are Married Before 18 And That In 8 Countries Between 8 And 27 Of Girls 15 19 Have Begun Child Rearing Child Marriage And Teenage Pregnancy Are Forms Of Child Abuse And Gender Based Violence Adolescent Girls Are At A Higher Risk Of Intimate Partner Violence Global School Based Health Surveys Conducted By Who In 11 Countries Report High Rates Of Violence In Schools Between 27 And 67 Of Children 13 15 Years Of Age Report Being Bullied 33 To 75 Being Involved In Physical Fights And 39 To 83 Being Severely Injured As A Result Although Corporal Punishment In Schools Is Now Prohibited In 10 Countries And No Data Is Available It Is Still Practiced Purpose And ContextAlong With High Rates Of Violence Women And Girls In The Pacific Region Experience Constant And Continual Inequalities Including Low Levels Of Participation In Decision Making Limited Economic Opportunities Restricted Access To Health Services And Rights And Limited Social Services And Access To Justice For Women And Child Survivors Of Violence WomenS Economic Empowerment Is Increasingly Recognised As A Path To Improved Economic Development For Pacific Communities And Countries And Can Also Be Linked To Increasing WomenS Agency And Ending Violence Against Women It Also Has The Potential To Lead To An Increase In Violence Against Women So Consideration Must Be Given To Possible Harmful Unintended Consequences Promoting Women In Leadership In All Spheres Of Life Has Been A Longstanding Challenge In The Pacific Other Persistent Challenges To WomenS Equality Include Power Imbalances Negative Social Norms And Behaviours And Patriarchy Being Reinforced Through Culture Religion Practice Policies And Archaic Laws Across The Region Harmful Social Norms Justify And Enable MenS Power Over Women And Allow Violence To Go Virtually Unchecked By Community Leaders Including Faith Leaders These Social Norms Are Rooted In Deeply Held Beliefs That There Are Justifiable Reasons For Husbands To Use Physical Violence To Discipline And Control Their Wives For Example The Traditional Silence Around Vawc Makes It Difficult For Women And Children To Share And Seek Support About The Violence They Experience And For All Community Members Break This Cycle The Shame And Stigma Associated With Domestic And Sexual Violence Means That Survivors Often Experience A Sense Of Isolation And Fear Of Retaliation In The Same Manner Deeply Ingrained Social Norms And Practices Rooted In The Lower Status Of Children And The Belief That Violent Discipline Is Necessary For A ChildS Education Makes It An Acceptable Practice Yet Studies Show That Child Abuse Neglect And Exploitation Affect Brain Development And Therefore Has A Negative Impact On The ChildS Physical Psychological Social And Cognitive Development Resulting In Poor Performance At School Poor Health And Behavioural Issues Especially During Adolescence Adults Who Lived Through Adverse Childhoods Are More Likely To Be Unemployed And To Display Mental And Physical Health Problems As Well As Anti Social Behaviour Men Who Have Been Abused As Children Are More Likely To Abuse Their Intimate Partner And Children Women Who Have Been Abused As Children Are More Likely To Be Victims Of Abuse As Well Due To Its Long Term And Inter Generational Multi Form Impacts In Addition To Violating Individuals Rights Violence Against Children Bears A Heavy Cost On Society As It Brings About A Loss Of Human Capital As Survivors Often Do Not Reach Their Full Potential And Puts A Strain On Health Security Justice And Social Welfare Services Therefore Transforming The Harmful Social Norms That Drive Vawc And Ensuring Access To Quality Essential Services For Survivors Is Crucial To Reducing Violence And Achieving Gender Equality By Addressing The Harmful Social Norms That Justify And Perpetuate Vawc Gender Equality Outcomes Across The Areas Of Health Education Economic Empowerment And Leadership At All Levels For Women And Children In The Pacific Will Be Impacted Significantly Further Promoting Positive Pacific Social Norms That Support And Protect Women And Children Also Benefit Men Families And Whole Communities Across The Pacific Faith Has Been Identified As A Particularly Important Avenue For Social Norms Change As Noted In The Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development Pacific Women Roadmap 2017 To Evawg Of Particular Importance In The Pacific Context Are Faith Based Organizations Fbos Which Are Central To Everyday Life And Play A Uniquely Influential Role In Determining Values In The Pacific There Is Shared Recognition That Faith Plays A Significant Part In The Lives Of Many People In The Region And That Faith Based Organizations Have A Wealth Of Experience In Addressing The Practical As Well As The Spiritual Needs Of Their Constituencies Yet The Influence That Such Groups Have Over Grassroots Communities Is Often Overlooked In Efforts To End Violence Against Women And Children And Promote Gender Equality And Child Protection Pacific Women Is Currently In Partnership With Uniting World World Vision And Channels For Hope Program Engaging In This Space Un Women In Previous Programming Including Through The Regional Pacific Fund To End Violence Against Women 3 Has Engaged With Faith Based Organizations And Through The Pacific Partnership Programme Is Working With House Of Sarah In Fiji On Violence Prevention Through Social Norms Change And Is Proposing To Expand Programming Through Further National And Regional Faith Partnerships Consultations With Faith Leaders And Faith Based Organisations Including The House Of Sarah Umbrella Groups Such As Pacific Conference Of Churches Are Ongoing Partner Organisations The Pacific Partnership To End Violence Against Women And Girls Pacific Partnership Brings Together Governments Civil Society Organisations Communities And Other Partners To Promote Gender Equality Prevent Violence Against Women And Girls Vawg And Increase Access To Quality Response Services For Survivors The ProgrammeS Three Outcome Areas Are Jointly Coordinated With Communities And National Agencies Through A Partnership Between The Pacific Community Spc Regional Rights Resource Team Rrrt Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Forum Secretariat And Un Women Fiji Multi Country Office Mco Un WomenS Outcome Aims To Promote Gender Equitable Social Norms At Individual And Community Levels To Prevent Violence Against Women And Girls And To Ensure Survivors Have Access To Quality Response Services This Outcome Is Funded By The European Union Eu And Australian Government With Support From The Un Women Fiji Multi Country Office Mco Who Is Also The Coordinating Agency Under This Programme Un Women Focus On Transforming Social Norms Requires Engagement Across All Levels Of Society And In Multiple Settings 4 Unicef Pacific Multi Country Child Protection Programme Seeks To Protect Children From All Forms Of Violence Including Neglect Abuse Exploitation Separation From Parents And Any Form Of Harm To Their Well Being And Development Through Strengthening Child Protection Systems For Prevention And Response Also Taking Into Account The Roles Of Families Communities And Traditional And Religious Organizations The Programme Consists Of Three Outcome Areas Strengthening The Legal And Policy Framework Building The Capacity Of Services Social Welfare Judiciary Police Health Education And Promoting Behaviour Change The Programme Is Funded By The Australian Government As Well As UnicefS Core Resources As Part Of The Behaviour Change Outcome Area Unicef Has Been In Discussion With The Pacific Conference Of Churches Pcc To Explore The Possibility Of Integrating Child Protection In Existing Church Activities Through The Development Of I Church Child Safeguarding Policies Ii A Basic Sensitization Module On Child Protection To Be Included In The Curriculum Of Theological Schools For Pre Service And In Service Training Of Priests Pastors And Iii Strategies And Materials To Include Prevention And Response To Child Protection Concerns In Regular Existing Activities Of Church WomenS MenS And Youth Groups Sunday School Various Age Groups And Any Other Unicef Pacific Is Also Supporting The Implementation Of Behaviour Change Interventions With Churches In Three Countries In The Pacific Through Facilitation Of Dialogue On Child Protection With Communities Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development Pacific Women Was Announced By The Australian Government At The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting In August 2012 The Program Aims To Improve Opportunities For The Political Economic And Social Advancement Of Pacific Women Pacific Women Will Support Countries To Meet The Commitments They Made In The Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration In 2012 The Outcomes Sought By Pacific Women Are Women And WomenS Interests Are Increasingly And Effectively Represented And Visible Through Leadership At All Levels Of Decision Making Women Have Expanded Economic Opportunities To Earn An Income And Accumulate Economic Assets Violence Against Women Is Reduced And Survivors Of Violence Have Access To Support Services And To Justice Women In The Pacific Will Have A Stronger Sense Of Their Own Agency Supported By A Changing Legal And Social Environment And Through Increased Access To The Services They Need Pacific Women Is Managed By AustraliaS Department Of Foreign Affairs And Trade Dfat And Works With A Wide Range Of Implementing Partners Including The 14 Partner Governments Multilateral Organisations International And National Ngos And Civil Society Organisations Un Women Pacific Women And Unicef Recognise That Faith Based Actors Have An Important Role To Play In Addressing Violence Against Women And Children And That Many Are Already Responding In Diverse Ways Although There Is Limited Information Available On The Work Being Done At The Local Levels Through Networks Of Faith Practitioners Aware Of The Significant Body Of Knowledge And Expertise Available In The Region To Address Violence Against Women And Children Un Women Pacific Women And Unicef Are Interested To Explore Which Approaches And Interventions Faith Based Actors Are Currently Undertaking The Extent To Which There Are Commonalities Between Approaches Adopted Between The Various Faiths And To Understand Better Some Of The Challenges Facing Faith Based Organizations In Addressing The Issues Therefore Un Women Pacific Women And Unicef Are Seeking To Recruit A Company To Carry Out A Mapping Of Faith Based Initiatives In The Pacific On Ending Violence Against Women And Children Evawc And Promoting Gender Equality Ge And Child Protection In The Region As The Pacific Island Countries Are Predominantly Christian This Mapping Will Focus On Christian Denominations In The Target Countries The Exception To This Is Fiji In Which Both Christian And Non Christian Faiths Will Be Mapped Only In Fiji Do Other Faiths Beyond Christianity Account For The Religious Affiliation Of A Significant Proportion Of The Population The Aim Of The Mapping Is To Gain Insight Into The Range And Diversity Of Faith Based Approaches And Activities Currently Being Undertaken To Address And Respond To Violence Against Women And Children Across The Pacific Region And To Identify Shared Values And Commitments Between Faith Based Organizations And Secular Organizations Addressing The Same Issues Although The Mapping Will Consider The Effectiveness Of Different Approaches Implemented To Address Violence The Primary Focus Of The Exercise Is To Obtain A Snapshot Of The Range Of Approaches Adopted The Findings Of This Mapping Will Be Used To Inform The Pacific Conference Of Churches Strategic Workshop With Key Faith Leaders In 2019 To Support The Development Of A Regional Faith Based Strategy To Evawc In The Pacific It Will Also Inform Areas For Future Programming For Un Women Pacific Women And Unicef On Changing Social Norms Through Faith And How To Support Faith Based Organisations To Prevent Violence Against Women And Children Iii Objectives Of The AssignmentThe Overall Objective Of The Assignment Is To Identify And Document How The Major Pacific Faith Based Actors In Each Of The Target Pacific Countries Address Violence Against Women And Children Gender Inequality And Child Protection In Addition To The Initiatives To Promote WomenS Leadership And Agency Within Faith Structures And Faith Communities And The Existing Activities Run By Faith Based Actors Which Could Be Used As Channels Entry Points To Carry Out Interventions Aiming At Addressing Violence Against Women And Children Gender Inequality And Child Protection The Mapping Will Focus On The Target Countries Of Fiji Kiribati Samoa Tonga Solomon Islands Vanuatu Papa New Guinea Fsm And Tuvalu Key Tasks Review Of Pacific Faith Based Actors Documentation On Response To Addressing Violence Against Women And Children Gender Inequality And Child Protection And Other Relevant Reports Or Publications ProducedDevelop The Methodology That Is Reviewed And Agreed By The Research Reference GroupMeet With The Research Reference Group To Finalise The Specific Design And Methods For The Mapping Exercise What Is Appropriate And Feasible To Meet The Purpose And Objectives Agree On The Mapping Questions That Will Need To Be Answered Given Limitations Of Time And What Materials Are Already Available Organize And Facilitate Key Informant Interviews Focus Group Discussions Online Quantitative Survey Interviews Etc With Key Pacific Faith Based Actors In Each Country Collect Code And Analyse Data From The Survey MappingPrepare The Draft Report And Present It To The Un Women Evawg Pacific Women And Unicef TeamsIncorporate Final Feedback Into The Final Report Prepare And Present Mapping Findings And Recommendation To Power Control Centre Members At Regional Conference

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