INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT: Gender Based Violence (GBV)

Purpose of consultancy:

To support UNFPA Timor-Leste in establishing a Safe Space for GBV survivors within a health facility, particularly through quality assurance and by ensuring that services are survivor-centered and in line with international standards and national policy.

Background:

GBV is one of the most pervasive human rights issues in Timor-Leste . According to the 2016 Timor-Leste Demographic Health Survey, one third (33%) of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence throughout their life . 

Responding to that, Timor-Leste has made strong policy responses against GBV through its national law and policies including Law Against Domestic Violence (LADV) and followed by the approval and implementation of two National Action Plan (NAP) to support implementation of the LADV. As an inter-ministerial member of NAP GBV commissioner, the Ministry of Health (MoH) is the key institution contributing to the action plan under the Pillar2: Access to and Provision of health services to victims/survivors. 
Health services often represent the first professional contact for women who have been subjected to GBV. Health service providers have therefore a key role in both providing medical care as well as facilitating access to medical care. Nevertheless, Timor-Leste has a well-established health-care system providing services at different levels throughout the country, significant gaps and challenges persist in the health sector’s response to GBV. These include, lack of health service providers’ capacity on GBV identification and survivor-centered response, distance to available shelters , limited coordination between health services and external referral services. 
A common strategy for addressing sexual and gender based violence is through the establishment of one stop crisis centers (OSCs), which provide integrated, multi-disciplinary services in a single location, or they can be organized as a “system” of either formal or informal networks. Given the context of Timor-Leste, with the limited resources and high retaliation possibility as small communities, the hospital-based OSCs model with focus on First-line support, psychological support and referral service exist and run by national non-governmental organization in ** municipalities in Timor-Leste. 

To institutionalize the sustainable GBV response in health system in Timor-Leste, UNFPA and MoH collaborate to integrate the GBV response into health system by establishing the Safe Space within the health facility to provide essential health services package including First-Line service(LIVES), medico-legal, basic psychosocial support and referral to further services.  The Safe Space will strengthen the response to GBV in Timor-Leste, especially health sector.

Scope of work:

The International Consultant, under the overall guidance of Timor-Leste CO GBV team and in close coordination with APRO GBV team, will provide technical and quality assurance support throughout the establishment and the starting phase of the Safe Space. 

The scope of work includes:

• oversight the whole process aimed at establishing the Safe Space, to ensure survivor-centred service and respond to the needs of GBV survivors;
• liaise and coordinate with any relevant duty bearer and stakeholder, including the government, health facility management and service providers, to make sure that the process is conducted in a participatory manner. This includes, organising consultations, meetings and other relevant activities, as needed;
• provide technical support and guidance throughout the review and finalize the SOPs ensuring alignment with international standards and national policy;
• provide support in building awareness and understanding of the Safe Space SOPs among health facility staff through in-service training, as well as understanding of specific roles and responsibilities of service providers, including by organising and conducting ad-hoc capacity building sessions

Duration and working schedule:
30 working days upon signing the contract.  
The consultant will develop and agree a detailed work plan at the beginning of their assignment, in consultation with Timor-Leste CO and APRO. 

Place where services are to be delivered:
The consultancy will be home-based, with possible travel to Timor-Leste.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

Education:
Minimum Master’s degree in gender, women’s studies, public health, social science or in related areas. 

Knowledge and experience:

• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in GBV response programming, Health Sector’s repose to GBV survivor, including developing GBV response guidelines or protocols. 
• Demonstrated experience in survivor-centred approach to establishing and implementing multi-sectoral response service in GBV response such as One-Stop Crisis Center or Safe Space for Women and Girls.
• Experience working with governmental stakeholders, particularly within the Health Sector.
• Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of Tetun would be considered an asset. 
• Strong writing and documentation skills  
• Ability to work within a team structure or in isolation, flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources.  
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments 

Closing date: 17 Aug 2022.

Interested candidates may submit the application (cover letter and P11 form) to the following email address: timor-leste.office@unfpa.org.