To contract the services of a Communications Consultant on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment in Jamaica

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. The UN Women Caribbean Multi-Country Office (MCO) is located in Barbados, covering the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean.

Jamaica is part of a regional programme, “Win-Win: Gender Equality Means Good Business” that is co-funded by UN Women in partnership with the European Commission and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The other countries are Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Chile. The programme will contribute to the economic empowerment of women, recognizing them as beneficiaries and partners of growth and development. It will also increase the private sector’s commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment and strengthen their capacities to implement these commitments. The action will ultimately contribute to the achievement of gender equality by enabling women’s increased labour force participation, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and thus their full and equal participation in society.

Targeting women-led enterprises and networks, multi-national companies, and relevant stakeholders in Europe and selected Latin American and Caribbean countries, the project will promote business links, joint ventures and innovation among women from both regions. It will also support inter-regional dialogue and exchange of good practices to increase the capacity of the private sector more broadly in the implementation of gender equal business.  It therefore aims to support businesses, employers, workers and trade unions to address gender inequality in corporate offices and on shop floors.

Outcome 2 of the Win-Win Programme is, “Sustainable model of gender sensitive private sector engagement to support SDG achievement developed and adopted”. Activity 2.2.2 is, “Design and implementation of campaigns to advocate and raise awareness to promote gender equality in the private sector, non-discriminatory work places, sexual harassment and to address the gender pay gap”. In Jamaica, the Win-Win Programme will work with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport through the Bureau of Gender Affairs to develop an awareness and communications campaign around the upcoming Sexual Harassment law in Jamaica and sensitise private sector companies and relevant bodies such as Jamaica Employers Federation, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and trade unions on key preventive practices.

According to the International Centre for Research on Women (2018), people who experience sexual harassment at work suffer from anxiety, distraction and even physical health issues. These effects extend into their professional lives by pulling their focus from work and reducing their satisfaction with their jobs, often making them late to work or absent entirely. People who experience harassment also report that they intend to leave their jobs. As such, sexual harassment can derail the harassed individuals’ career by undermining their ability to perform and grow, driving them to new workplaces, and sometimes forcing them out of the workforce entirely. Since the vast majority of harassed individuals are women, these effects have a direct impact on women’s economic performance by weakening their position in the workforce.

By harming employees, sexual harassment also harms companies, most obviously through potential lawsuits, increased insurance premia and reputational damage, leading to challenges in hiring top talent. Recognizing the personal and business consequences, companies and institutions are increasingly acting to address sexual harassment—from firing perpetrators to integrating sexual harassment prevention training with workers and management. However, most corporate responses have focused on reducing legal liability for harassment. Such an approach does not reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in companies, which remains entrenched and largely unchallenged.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the assignment for development and implementation of a gender-sensitive awareness and communications campaign on prevention of sexual harassment:

Overall Objective:

• To develop and implement a gender-sensitive awareness and communications campaign on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment in alignment with the upcoming Prevention of Sexual Harassment legislation as well, develop gender-sensitive awareness and communications campaign materials using traditional and digital media.

Specific Objectives:

• Improve understanding of issues of gender relations, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment;
• Increase awareness in the private sector workplace on the upcoming Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law in Jamaica including the legislative framework for identifying, addressing, reporting and preventing sexual misconduct within the workplace;
• Promote respect for and protection of gender and human rights in Jamaica.

Scope of Work and Deliverables:

The Communications Consultant will be required to:

• Consult a desk-based review of all relevant documentation on sexual harassment issues in the private sector workplace.
• Develop a detailed Work Plan for the assignment including implementation schedules, risk management, and methodology.
• Prepare a draft Communications Strategy for the prevention of sexual harassment in the private sector workplace and secure the relevant approvals from UN Women and the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA)/ Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (MCGES).
• Prepare   the   final Communications   Strategy   for the prevention of sexual harassment in the private sector workplace incorporating   the comments and inputs provided on the draft document.
• Develop and implement a media strategy for the prevention of sexual harassment in the private sector workplace to include awareness and communications materials (e.g. pre-constructed posts – with Infographics, text, graphics, images, animated videos, and messaging blogs for social media impact).
• Update existing video (explore feasibility of animated video) regarding sexual harassment “Understanding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace” and the upcoming Prevention of Sexual Harassment Bill that may be uploaded on various digital media platforms of partners and stakeholders for maximum amplitude. The video must include:
  • Sexual Harassment Tribunal reporting procedures;
  • Workplace policy development process; and
  • Interviews with Union of Clerical Administrative & Supervisory Employees (UCASE), Jamaica Civil Service Association, Legal Officer, Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (MCGES) and Senior Director and other members of BGA.
• Implement a 2-month awareness and communications campaign using digital video as well as other awareness and communications materials (e.g. pre-constructed posts – with Infographics, text, graphics, images, videos, and blogs for social media impact), convening sensitization sessions that encourage positive attitudes for the prevention, reporting and redress regarding sexual harassment including the role of the bystander.
• Plan a digital video launch event for traditional and digital media to include analytics on engagement results over the period.
• Create website ready written materials alongside web optimized images and video for the UN Women website platform.
• Provide weekly email updates to UN Women and BGA on the progress made, identify challenges and request support as needed.
• Prepare and submit Evaluation Report.

Reporting Requirements:

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative, with direct reporting to the National Private Sector Specialist (NPSS) – Jamaica.

Competencies

The consultant should meet the following criteria:

Core Values/Guiding Principles:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Effective Communication
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf.

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to support the design, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development related communications programmes as well as training and educational material for a professional audience.
• Ability to maintain networks and partnerships with key private sector partners, media, international development partners and government stakeholders.

Required Skills and Experience

Required skills and experience:

Education:

• Postgraduate degree in communications or digital media and 2-3 years practical experience in any of the following fields are required: women’s rights, gender equality, sexual discrimination, sexual harassment or gender-based violence.  In lieu of a post-graduate degree, a Bachelor’s degree in communications or digital media may be considered in addition to five (5) years of practical experience in any of the following fields - women’s rights, gender equality, sexual discrimination, sexual harassment or gender-based violence.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years’ experience in the design, development and implementation of awareness and communications programmes using a mix of traditional and digital media in national and regional contexts;
• At least 3 years’ experience working in private sector companies` environment and corporate management practices preferred;
• Experience developing and implementing Gender-sensitive Awareness and Communications Campaign using traditional and digital media to a broad cross-section of participants preferred
• Prior experience in Jamaica and the Caribbean is preferred.

Languages :

• Fluency in English is required.
• Multilingual proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese will be considered an asset.

References:

• Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

Remuneration:

• The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.

Hardware, Software and Communication:

• The consultant must be equipped with a fully-functional laptop, which must run at least Windows 7 as well as installations of traditional and digital media software. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based telecommunications application software (Skype or equivalent) is required. The consultant must be equipped with their own videography and photography equipment.

Location and Duration:

• The consultancy will be home based.
• The consultancy will be deliverable-based during the period 29 July 2019 – 6 December 2019.

Other:

• The consultant contracted will be required to sign a statement of confidentiality and freedom from any conflict of interest with potential future contractors with respect to the TORs and work that they will be delivering.

Application:

• Please submit relevant work samples.

Note:

Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission.   As such, all application materials must be scanned into one document and submitted.

All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs.  Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.

UN Women is committed to diversity in the world of work in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality and culture. Women and others belonging to groups of people of African descent, indigenous people, LGBTTI, with disabilities, living with HIV and other vulnerable groups are encouraged to present themselves.