Tenders Are Invited For Consultation For The Realization Of An Evaluation On Child Protection In The Intervention Zones And For The Updating Of The Maps

Tenders are invited for Consultation for the Realization of an Evaluation on Child Protection in the Intervention Zones and for the Updating of the Maps. Closing Date: 17 Nov 2024 Type: Consultancy 1 Presentation of Terre des hommes - Lausanne Terre des hommes Lausanne is an independent, neutral and impartial Swiss organisation, founded in 1960, dedicated to bringing about meaningful and lasting change in the lives of children and young people, especially those most at risk1. We ensure their well-being and the effective implementation of their rights as defined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments. To make a difference, we focus our efforts on maternal and child health, children and young people in migration, and access to justice. 1 The use of the masculine gender has been adopted to facilitate reading and has no discriminatory intent. 2 Tdhs values and principles of action Lausanne, 2020 Tdh-L works in 32 different countries around the world, in humanitarian and development contexts. In its interventions, Tdh-L promotes a human rights-based approach, as well as a general improvement in quality and accountability by ensuring meaningful access to services for all, in safety and dignity. Tdh-L has adopted the Core Humanitarian Standard as a quality and accountability framework, which is fully integrated with widely recognised industry standards, including the Sphere Manual, the Minimum Standards for the Protection of Children in Humanitarian Action and the IASC Principles of Accountability to Affected Populations. Tdh-Ls work is based on the following principles22: Act in the best interests of the child; Promote the participation and empowerment of children, young people, their families and communities; Working in partnership to strengthen local capacities, dynamics and systems; Acting for the humanitarian interest, development and peace; Promote continuous improvement, collaboration and learning; Be transparent and accountable to beneficiaries, partners, donors and ourselves. Tdh-L has been present in Mauritania since 1984, and intervenes in three main areas: Access to justice for children and youth in contact with the law. Supporting migrant and refugee children and young people to improve their living conditions. Strengthening child protection systems. As such, Tdh-L enjoys wide recognition and credibility with the state authorities (Ministry of Social Action, Children and the Family, Ministry of Justice, Directorate for the Judicial Protection of Children,...) and also with donors, in particular the European Union, the French Development Agency (AFD), UNICEF, UNHCR, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Monegasque Cooperation, and the Andalusian Agency for International Development Cooperation (AACID). Tdh-L operates in nine regions of Mauritania, including Hodh El Chargui, a region where refugees from Mali are influx, where the government has adopted a policy of out-of-camp settlement, and where resources and services are under great pressure. Tdh has just started the implementation of a project called "Tawafoug" in Consortium with Action Against Hunger and Save the Children and which aims to "promote an environment conducive to the socio-economic development and peaceful coexistence of host, refugee and return populations in the wilaya of HeC" For this intervention funded by the European Union for a period of three years, Tdh-L will work on strengthening the child protection system, adapted to the specific needs of refugee children, with a component on mental health and psychosocial well-being, with a particular focus on mobility. In order to guide actions to strengthen the child protection system and ensure its optimal quality, it is essential to better understand the context, structure and components of the system, the needs and resources in terms of system coordination and service delivery, the profiles and characteristics of beneficiaries, the problematic protection risks faced by children and young people in refugee and host communities. A study to this effect will therefore be carried out among the refugee and host communities outside the camp. These terms of reference serve to describe more specifically the objectives, duration and mandate of the consultants in charge of developing the Protection study, the results of which will serve as a basis for building the intervention strategy for the Strengthening of the Child Protection System in Hodh El Chargui for the next three years. 2 Background and rationale The humanitarian crisis that has affected Mali since 2012 has generated massive displacement of populations, both inside and outside the country, with significant repercussions on neighbouring countries, including Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger. Since 2012, tens of thousands of Malians have fled to Mauritania for safety, due to instability and violence in their country. Their prospects for return remain very limited. Out of a total of 240,693 refugees seeking asylum, 140,044 are registered by the competent Mauritanian services, including 33,516 women and 75,325 children. As the Mbera camp in eastern Mauritania, on the border with Mali, is saturated, the majority of new arrivals are forced to settle in neighbouring villages, which means that humanitarian actors (led by UNHCR, which coordinates the Refugee Response) need to adapt the response to the needs both inside the camp and in neighbouring communities. The out-of-camp intervention is part of the emergency humanitarian response for Malian refugees, returnees and host populations passing through the Hodh Chargui region. With a focus on refugees settled outside the already overcrowded Mbera refugee camp, the aim is to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable displaced populations and host communities through a region-based approach. With refugees and returnees scattered across a wide geographical area, UNHCR collects monthly data on new arrivals through its Population Flow Monitoring in more than 60 villages. Together with partners and local authorities, UNHCR aims to increase the provision of basic assistance such as food, shelter, health care and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. This influx increases the pressure on services and natural resources in a region with a high multidimensional poverty rate (about 78%) and which is particularly vulnerable to climate shocks. These displaced people from various regions of Mali have been added to the populations of this region already facing challenges such as poverty, low education rates, limited basic services and climate shocks. Most of the sites where refugees settle in Hodh El Chargui are in remote areas. 70% of the displaced populations, without adequate shelter, have settled in empty spaces; Social and health infrastructure is insufficient, remote and difficult to access, and the majority of refugees outside camps face food insecurity. In August 2024, IOM estimated the number of displaced persons at 31,692 in the Moughata of Bassikounou with a large proportion of women heads of households (44%), minors (35% of whom it was estimated that 33% were children under 5 years old and 19% children under 2 years old)3. According to UNHCR, these new arrivals as well as the refugee population, mainly women and children, need multidimensional assistance and support, including the prevention of all forms of violence and discrimination, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), the promotion of womens rights and the schooling of girls. 3 Displacement Tracking Matrix - IOM, Hodh Ech Chargi Moughata de Bassikounou, August 2024 According to the results of the Rapid Multisectoral Assessment of the Needs of Displaced Persons in the Hodh El Chargui Region carried out in April 2024 by the Mauritanian Red Crescent, the main risk related to gender-based violence remains child marriage, followed by sexual assault and rape, emotional violence and denial of resources. Several causes can be cited, such as socio-cultural and religious norms; multidimensional poverty; the traditional role of women in society and the drop-out of girls; precarious, unsecured shelters; the lack of alternatives for young people and the lack of dialogue between parents - children and young people. By observing the precarious shelters of new arrivals, women and girls are exposed to gender-based and sexual violence. There is also a great risk of early marriages. The existence of some unaccompanied and separated children requires special attention. Despite the presence of a significant number of women and girls in the Hodh Chargui region, cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) identified and treated remain very limited, including the reporting of cases of sexual exploitation and abuse. This appears to be related to, among other things, limited case management capacity (i.e., outdated SOPs, lack of trained staff, little-known reporting mechanisms, underfunding of the sector) and insufficient or non-existent services in some out-of-camp locations to meet the needs of GBV survivors. The presence of refugees in host communities thus accentuates existing vulnerabilities within the host population, which is already underserved in terms of access to services. It is therefore important to ensure that mechanisms and services for the prevention and response to violence, exploitation and abuse of indigenous and refugee children are in place and continue to be strengthened. According to the Sub-Working Group on Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence, some refugee and indigenous children are vulnerable to protection risks or even at risk of violence, exploitation, discrimination, abuse and neglect (VEDAN), and therefore require special protection measures. The causes of these violations are multifaceted and are largely explained by socio-cu Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4108723/consultation-pour-la-realisation-dune-evaluation-sur-la-protection-de-lenfant-dans-les-zones-dinterventions-et-pour-la-mise-jour-des-cartographie