Under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Justice Section within the Division for Operations, UNODC HQ, Vienna, and the overall guidance of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer who is the Coordinator of the UNODC Global Programmeto END VAC , the consultant will be responsible for undertaking the following activities:
• Carry out background research (two desk reviews) on the role of the justice systems in Brazil and in Mozambique in preventing and responding to serious forms of violence against children;
• Elaboration of two background papers (desk reviews approximately 20-30 pages each) on the role of the justice systems in Brazil and in Mozambique on preventing and responding to serious forms of violence against children;
• Draft two outlines of the training manuals on the Role of the Justice System in Preventing and Responding to serious forms of Violence Against Children and explain how the training methodology outlined above will be used;
• Develop the first draft of the two Training Manuals on the Role of the Justice System in Preventing and Responding to serious forms of Violence Against Children based on an agreed annotated outline;
• Develop training materials for the delivery of the following two events: an online/onsite three-day training event for professionals from Mozambique, a three-day training event for professionals from Brazil.
• Deliver the following two events: an online/onsite three-day training event for professionals from Mozambique, a three-day training event for professionals from Brazil. The above-mentioned training manuals and materials will be used as supporting tools for the events.
• Finalize the Training Manuals by incorporating feedback received during the training events.
Home based, travel to Brazil and Mozambique
Proposed period: 1 February 2021 – 1 August 2021
Actual work time: 60 working days
The mission of UNODC is to contribute to the achievement of security and justice for all by making the world safer from crime, drugs, and terrorism. UNODC has the mandate to support Member States in preventing crime and violence and strengthening their justice systems. It is within this broad mandate that UNODC has the specific mandate to support Member States in ensuring that children are better served and protected by justice systems. In this regard, the Office functions as the Secretariat of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), one of the intergovernmental policy making bodies of the United Nations, and implements technical assistance projects. The mandate and role of UNODC in providing assistance in the areas of violence against children and justice for children have been reaffirmed throughout the years.
Recognizing the pressing need to address the issue of violence against children and, in particular, the key role of the justice system in this regard, in December 2014, the international community adopted a new international legal instrument, the United Nations Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Children in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/194 of 18 December). This new set of international standards and norms offers guidance to Member States that aims to build and strengthen a criminal justice system aimed to prevent and effectively respond to violence against children.
Indeed, there will be no accountability mechanisms to end serious forms of violence and crime committed against children without an effective, fair and child-friendly justice system. The role of the justice system is not only instrumental to ensure accountability mechanisms. Something that is often underestimated and must be taken into account is the role of criminal justice institutions and actors in promoting preventive measures against violence against children. While we must acknowledge that not all types of violence against children must be dealt with by the justice system, often actors within that system are the ones to have the first contact with incidents of violence and therefore have an undeniable responsibility to prevent revictimization and to take actions to ensure that other systems (i.e.: health, education, child protection) provide efficient responses.
In 2015, UNODC launched its Global Programme to End Violence against Children (Global Programme to END VAC). The programme aims to support Member States in preventing and responding to violence against children with a specific focus on the role of the justice system. The Programme, which has been the vehicle to ensure policy and technical assistance coherence within UNODC in the area of violence against children in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, has four main thematic focus areas:
1) Crime and Violence Prevention: prevention of children’s involvement with crime and violence
2) Child Victims and Witnesses: better serving and protecting child victims and witnesses of crime
3) Juvenile Justice: better serving and protecting child alleged offenders, with a focus on restorative justice approaches, aiming to ensure that they will assume a constructive role in society
4) Children Associated with Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups: preventing child involvement with these groups, ensuring that their treatment is conducive to their rehabilitation and reintegration
Further information on the Global Programme to END VAC and its achievements can be accessible at: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/justice-and-prison-reform/endvac.html
Against this background, and under the framework of the UNODC Global Programme to END VAC , UNODC will carry out in 2021 two capacity-building events targeting professionals in Brazil and in Mozambique aimed at strengthening their capacity to deal with cases involving violence against children more effectively, focusing in particular on approaches, effective practices and concrete steps that can be taken by justice professionals in preventing and responding to the phenomenon.
The consultant will develop two training manuals in Portuguese on The Role of the Justice System in Preventing and Responding to Violence against Children in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for Brazil and Mozambique. Based on the developed documents, the consultant will further develop relevant training materials as necessary to hold two events, the first one is a three day training event for professionals from Brazil, the second one is a online/onsite three day training event for professionals from Mozambique. The training events targeting professionals from Brazil and Mozambique will be an opportunity to pilot-test the draft training manuals and materials.
The training manuals to be developed by the consultant should be designed to empower justice practitioners in Brazil and in Mozambique to effectively discharge their professional duties and responsibilities aimed at preventing and responding to serious forms of violence against children.
Accordingly, the training manuals to be developed should be based on sound training methodology.
In particular, the methodology to be utilized by the consultant must be:
a) practical (as adult professionals learn by doing);
b) interactive (in order to capitalize on the collective intelligence and expertise of the group);
c) participant-centered (as the entire learning experience must focus on the participants’ needs and expectations); and
d) based on a problem-solving approach (in order to immerse the participants in a real-life stimulating learning experience).
The training material should be based on and reflect principles set by international law, UN standards and norms and previous UNODC guidance produced in the area of violence against children (e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against children in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice – GA Resolution 69/194). In developing the tool, the consultant should not aim at providing abstract or theoretical knowledge of legal concepts, but rather encourage trainers and participants to reflect upon the practical application and implications of the norms and principles discussed, and to think about the policy and ethical underpinnings of legal principles. In order to achieve this, the consultant should consider including, where appropriate:
• focus boxes of specific interest, providing more in-depth information or examples, and allowing a comparative approach to the subject;
• case studies (studies from real cases relevant to the prevention of violence against children);
• proposed training activities that can be undertaken during a workshop (such as role play scenarios);
• cross-references and links to existing materials and tools of relevance;
• further reading suggestions;
• short summaries of key points and findings (at the beginning or end of each chapter)
Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, criminology or relevant social or political areas with adequate focus on crime prevention issues is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience: • At least 10 years of professional experience in crime prevention and criminal justice matters is required;
• Profound knowledge of judicial and social aspects relating to crime prevention and criminal justice reform and demonstrated work experience in this area is required;
• Work experience in the provision of legislative assistance and advisory services to review and develop legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks related to crime prevention, criminal justice reform is required;
• Demonstrated academic record in research on and analysis of issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice is required;
• Teaching experience in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice is required;
• Work experience with the UN system is highly desirable;
• Work experience in either Brazil or Mozambique is an asset.
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required and fluency in oral and written Portuguese, with excellent drafting and communication skills, is desirable.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
