To contract services for 6 consultants to support the updating of the Partnership for Peace Batterer Intervention Programme curriculum in the Caribbean.

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 MCO Caribbean covers 22 countries and territories in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, which are part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Strides towards gender equality in the countries covered by the MCO have resulted in gains for women and girls in the Caribbean, relating primarily to high education rates and increases in employment rates. However critical gaps remain. These gaps are further exploited during hazards like COVID-19 and other environmental hazards.

All Caribbean countries have signified their commitment to eliminate all forms of violence against women through law reform and the use of legal remedies for victim protection as well as interventions with perpetrators. With very few exceptions, all Caribbean states have enacted domestic violence legislation, many of which were modelled on the Domestic Violence Legislation developed by the CARICOM Secretariat, in which the courts are empowered to order counselling for both perpetrators and victims. This counselling has generally been done by social workers within Ministries of Social Services.

In 2001, an evaluative study, published by The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the implementation of domestic violence legislation in four countries in the Caribbean, suggested that the purpose of the counselling provided did not necessarily have as its primary objective to end violent behaviour but often emphasised marriage or union preservation.  In addition, social workers who were assigned this task were not always specifically trained in this area.

In 2003, ECLAC and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) convened a meeting on ‘Gender-based Violence and the Administration of Justice’.  The participants agreed that batterer intervention programmes (BIPs) needed to be guided by some basic principles that included the prioritisation of the safety of the abused and the acknowledgement of accountability and responsibility by the perpetrator.  One of the recommendations from this meeting was for an examination of the standards for BIPs in other jurisdictions, with a view to developing a standardised approach to such programmes in the Caribbean.

In 2004, UN Women (then UNIFEM) convened a regional Expert Group Meeting consisting of persons from the field of psychology, counselling, probation, law, the justice system and gender.  Most of the experts were involved in domestic violence work either in BIPs or working with victims.  UNIFEM further commissioned the Grenada Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic (LACC) to implement a Batterer Intervention Pilot Project in Grenada in 2005 with some additional support from The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). In addition, a comprehensive Programme Manual, including Operational Guidelines for Management of a standardized BIP, was authored by Dr. Dianne Douglas et al, with contributions from the BIP Regional Expert Group. The Programme’s generic title is: Partnership for Peace – A Domestic Violence Intervention.

From 2005 with the support of the Government of Iceland UNIFEM/ UN Women supported the adoption and expansion of the Partnership for Peace programme by governments, NGOs and Judiciaries in The British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Belize and Grenada with varying level of success.  This support included capacity development training for facilitators as well as support to facilitation and clinical supervision of the programme in various countries. These efforts further supported a strategy for Caribbean countries to standardize the Partnership for Peace Programme across the region.

Partnership for Peace (PfP) represents a 16-session curriculum for men designed to encourage and support men in achieving a violence-free lifestyle.  It is based on the premise that violence is intentional and that abusive behaviors are chosen methods for gaining control of persons and situations.  The program uses a psycho-educational approach in order to convey that violence is unacceptable and that violent habits can be broken, sharing concepts and techniques that help to replace violent behavior with preferences for respect, open communication and healthy relationships. 

The key message is that violence is a choice, that participants are responsible for their choices, and that they alone are accountable for the consequences of the actions they take.

As a preventative strategy in reducing the prevalence of violence against women, this programme is a direct result of increasing calls for the development and scaling up of gender-responsive violence prevention programs that address the gendered causes and consequences of violence, including issues of masculine socialization, harmful and stereotypical gender roles and gender inequality.

The long-term objective of the Programme is “To Reduce Gender Based Violence in the Caribbean by increasing perpetrator accountability and effectively protect women’s human rights”

Other immediate Objectives include:

• To strengthen Caribbean state’s responses to violence against women that focus on perpetrator accountability and the protection of women’s human rights.
• To inform judicial officers of the programme and advocate for their support.
• To train and support state agencies or organizations to manage the programme effectively.
• To train court workers, social workers, police officers and other professionals from the social and health care system as well as advocates for women’s rights to facilitate the Partnership for Peace programme.
• To increase the capacity of male perpetrators of domestic violence to take responsibility for their violence and live violent free lives.

Having initiated and supported the implementation of Partnership for Peace in a number of countries in the Caribbean Region over the past decade, in 2020 UN Women MCO Caribbean undertook an assessment of the current status of the Partnership for Peace Programme in the Caribbean Region with the view to establishing the status of implementation of the programme in Grenada, Belize, BVI, Jamaica, St Lucia, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

The assessment assisted the MCO Caribbean to determine the nature of support and intervention required by implementing countries and agencies and give insight into the requirements for expansion to countries interested in adopting the partnership for peace programme. Further the assessment will support an understanding of the role and success of the PfP programme within the context of the range of complimentary programming required for successful secondary prevention of GBV in the Caribbean region.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of Assignment

Updating of the Partnership for Peace Batterer Intervention Programme curriculum in the Caribbean.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The consultant will:

• Review the PfP Programme curriculum.
• Participate in 3 to 5 days work session to update the PfP curriculum.
• Provide feedback on updated draft curriculum.
• Support training to judiciary and NGO implementing partners as necessary.

Reporting Requirements

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO Caribbean Representative, with day to day reporting to the UN Women MCO Caribbean Deputy Representative and Ending Violence against Women and Girls Focal Point.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Strong listening skills.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including conveying complex concepts and recommendations in a clear style.
• Ability to interact effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to operate effectively in stressful situations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Postgraduate degree in Social Science, Social work, Psychology, Gender and Development, Law or Public health.

Experience:

• At least seven years’ experience in addressing gender-based violence.
• At least three years’ experience with rehabilitation programmes.
• Demonstrated understanding of masculinities and gender-based violence.
• At least five years’ experience with participatory education, training, and facilitation.
• Experience with Partnership for Peace is preferred.
• At least five years of experience in supporting behavioural change and prevention work in the promotion of social change, a specific focus on ending gender-based violence considered an asset.
• Academic and/or Work-experience in the Caribbean is required.

Language:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.

Location and Duration:

• The consultant will be home based (with travel within the Caribbean) and be engaged for the period 06th February to 31st August 2023.

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.

• The remuneration for this contract type is an all-inclusive fee, the organization will not be liable for additional cost or benefits.  Hence, it is the responsibility of the consultant to take out adequate medical insurance for the duration of the contract and it is recommendable that the policy includes coverage for COVID-19 related illness.   The medical coverage should be international when the contract requires missions or international assignment.

• If selected for this vacant post, proof of medical coverage should be presented within the first two months of the contract.

Hardware, Software and Communication:

• The consultant must be equipped with a fully functional laptop, which must comfortably run Office 365 programs, using operating systems Microsoft Windows 10/11, or Mac OS X 10.11 or upward. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based communications platform (Skype or equivalent) is required.

References:

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

Documents to be submitted:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment; 
• Applications received without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• Please group all documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows one document to be uploaded. 

Other:

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

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.  

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application. 

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks (background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).