Situational Analysis of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Papua New Guinea

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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming, translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women Papua New Guinea (PNG) addresses local challenges and implements programs tailored to the specific needs of women and girls in country.  It works with four main programmes; Ending violence against women and girls; Economic empowerment; Leadership and political participation; and Peace and security. The country office work closely with the Government, civil society, and other partners to create sustainable and impactful changes. As well as provides technical support, advocacy, and capacity-building to ensure that gender equality is integrated into national policies and programs.

Gender inequality remains very high in PNG, and the country ranked 169 out of 170 countries globally, as per the UNDP’s Human Development Report 2022. Violence against women and girls (EVAWG) remains at endemic levels across the country with rampant domestic violence in both urban and rural areas. Studies show that 56% of women age 15-49 in Papua New Guinea have experienced physical violence since age 15, while 63% of ever-married women have experienced spousal physical, sexual, or emotional violence. Moreover, sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) killings have been increasing. The causes are rooted in a mixture of social norms that promote unequal and harmful gender roles and stereotypes, and widespread social acceptance of VAWG. Traditional practices like bride price and polygamy, and within the context of the Wantok kinship system can exacerbate the issue and perpetuate structural discrimination. When bride price is paid in marriage, a woman is considered to belong, not only to her husband, but to his entire family.

The complex peace and security context of PNG compounds the already extreme pressures on women and girls. The Highlands region is increasingly affected by conflict and violence, often related to land disputes, tribal rivalries, organized crime, sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV), and small arms proliferation. Women and children are exposed to various forms of insecurity before, during, and after such conflicts, most notably VAWG, including sexual violence and harmful socio-cultural practices like forced marriages. Women are also often widowed, which has undermined their status in their communities, leading to their exploitation and abuse.

It is within this context that UN Women PNG is designing a new phase of its Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) programming through the EU-funded ‘Soim Wokabout: EU Gender Based Violence Referral Pathways Programme’, which will be implemented from 2024 to 2027 in partnership with UNFPA and UNOPS. UN Women PNG is leading on two outcomes of the new programme, Outcome 2 (CSO’s & Women’s Movement): Improve advocacy and agency of civil society organisations, women’s rights organisations, social movements, and communities to end gender-based violence; and Outcome 3 (Prevention): More effective engagement of community leaders, male advocates and influential groups and actors in society in changing discriminatory social norms, gender stereotypes, GBV and harmful practices. The two selected provinces for programme implementation are the National Capital District and the Eastern Highlands.

Duties and Responsibilities

UN Women PNG seeks to engage a national consultant to carry out a situational analysis in the Eastern Highlands (3 Districts – Goroka, Daulo and Kainantu) and the National Capital District through key informant interviews, and stakeholder consultations to provide clear findings and recommendations for consideration in the design and implementation of prevention components for the Soim Wokabout programme.

More specifically, the objectives of the situational analysis are to:

• Understand the specific local socio-cultural context, and the needs, priorities of those the new programme will work with as partners and participants.
• Identify the main types of violence experienced by women and girls, as well as the beliefs, social norms, key risk factors and protective factors for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the community.
• Identify the key actors and institutions involved in prevention and response, their roles, interests, capacities and relationships (including Civil Society Organisations, Government, Research Institutions, and Service Providers, Cultural and Community Groups etc.)
• Determine existing approaches to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, community entry points and the accessibility and quality of VAW response services by key actors and institutions.
• Provide recommendations to inform the development of community-based prevention programming.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the guidance of the UN Women EVAW Programme Manager, the local consultant will support UN Women PNG country office to conduct a situational analysis in the National Capital District (NCD) and the Eastern Highlands Province (EHP).  Throughout the process, the local consultant will receive technical guidance by the UN Women EVAW team and the Prevention Collaborative.

The consultant will be expected to:

Task 1. Inception Phase: Finalisation of the work plan including methodology, data collection tools and key deliverables outlined for approval

• Initial meetings with UN Women PNG to review and finalise the research workplan and methods for the situational analysis, taking into account initial EHP and NCD scoping mission  reports, current political context and safety and security, as well as GBV research ethical guidelines and protocols, and agreement on the research questions that will need to be answered, given limitations of time and existing data.
• Pre-testing of data collection tools in National Capital District. UN Women will provide quantitative data collection tools and the consultant will review, revise and tailor the tools where appropriate to the local context to engage with specific stakeholders.
• Debriefing/discussion with UN Women about effectiveness of the data collections tools used in pre-test, collect feedback and finalize.

Task 2. Data Collection with key stakeholders in targeted districts

• Conduct selected stakeholders’ consultations including representatives from local, provincial and national governments, development partners, non-governmental organisations NGO’s, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Women’s Right’s Organisations (WROs), faith-based organisations and GBV service providers, Research institutions, Cultural and Community groups.
• Conduct consultations with targeted groups and beneficiaries in the community, including traditional and faith leaders, men, women and youth.
• Compile brief summary report on completed stakeholder consultations and site visits.

Task 3. Final report with comparative analysis (by province/district) to include findings and recommendations for future programming in prevention

• Compile the collected field data, and conduct a thematic analysis of qualitative data from interviews and focus groups.
• Develop a detailed report with preliminary findings and recommendations, and share to UN Women for review. Report will be no more than 40 pages in English language.
• Prepare a PowerPoint presentation summarizing key findings and recommendations for stakeholders, and present to UN Women.
• Address any revisions or additional inputs and submit final comprehensive report with the Executive Summary to UN Women.

Deliverables and Timeframe

The selected Consultant will be expected to complete the following key-deliverables within the indicative timeframe:

The due dates for each of the deliverables will be agreed upon following further discussion with the selected consultant. The consultant will be expected to review and finalise the detailed workplan and timeline in consultation with UN Women for all deliverables. All deliverables will be presented in electronic version in English.

Methodology

It is expected that the situational analysis will primarily use qualitative methods approaches, including Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FDG), and semi-structured interviews. In addition, there should be quantitative methods used where appropriate, including analysis of sex disaggregated data and other contextually relevant markers of equity.

UN Women will provide the methodology and quantitative data collection tools and it is expected the consultant will review, revise and tailor the tools where appropriate to the local context to engage with specific stakeholders including youth age 16+, and illiterate women and men. 

The consultant should ensure that data collection and analysis methods capture the specific experiences of key groups and stakeholders in both the National Capital District and the Eastern Highlands province.  The approach must ensure inclusivity with a range of stakeholders including remote rural women and persons with disabilities.

The methodology will also take into account the current political context, safety and security and GBV ethical guidelines and protocols to ensure the safety of interviewers and interviewees, especially during the fieldwork. Considering the potential safety risks, it is not necessary to collect information from women and girls about their own personal experiences of violence as part of this study. UN Women will work together with the selected consultant to ensure rapid, safe and effective referral for any individuals requiring support throughout the research process.

Interviews and focus group discussions should be conducted in safe and private settings with interviewers and interviewees of the same sex either in person or remotely based on what is feasible in the current context. Depending on access to communities, some data may need to be collected through interviews with identified stakeholders such as CSOs etc. conducted via phone or online by Skype/Zoom to collect relevant information.

It is expected that data collection will be conducted with the following key stakeholders to ensure a range of perspectives are included:

• National, provincial, district and local grassroots level NGOs, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Community Based Organisations (CBOs), women’s rights groups and networks, working on gender equality and ending VAWG in Papua New Guinea, including those representing youth and groups facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and marginalization.
• GBV service and health provider organisations, including the Family Support Centre staff. 
• Representatives from local, provincial and national governments, development partners, and faith-based organisations.
• Community leaders (where appropriate) including, but not limited to, tribal elders, faith leaders, other identified community groups and community change leaders and influencers.
• Selected community women, men and youth aged 16+ in the target provinces. This may include a cross section of women and girls who face intersecting forms of discrimination and marginalization, including female survivors of violence, illiterate women and girls, women and girl living in rural areas; women and girls with disabilities; as well as men.

Duration of the assignment

It is expected that the selected consultant shall begin work by October 21st 2024 with work being completed by December 31st 2024 in conformity with the Deliverables and Timeframe described in Section 3.

Management Arrangements

The consultant will work under the direct supervision and technical guidance of UN Women EVAG Programme Manager and will conduct regular briefings on the progress at each stage of the assignment. During the field work data collection, the consultant will be supported by members of the UN Women PNG EVAW team.

Performance evaluation

The Contractor’s performances will be evaluated against such criteria as timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial arrangement

Payment will be disbursed upon submission and approval of deliverables and timesheets with actual days worked and certification by the EVAW Programme Manager that the services have been satisfactorily performed. UN Women PNG will cover the cost of all field work including travel.

It is estimated to have 3 instalments to be paid to the consultant as follows:

• Deliverable 1: 20% upon submission of the final work plan including methodology, and data collection tools.
• Deliverable 2: 40% upon submission of the brief summary report on completed stakeholder consultations and site visits.
• Deliverable 3: 40% upon submission of the final Report, and presentation.

Payment will be made within 30 (thirty) days after receipt and acceptance of the specified deliverable and corresponding invoice but only after UN Women have certified that the services have been satisfactorily performed by the Consultant.

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 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Masters degree or equivalent in human rights, gender studies, public relations, development studies, law, statistics and/or other social or economic science related to the areas relevant for the assignment.

Experience:s

•  Minimum 5 years of proven research experince including in the area of Gender equality, Ending violence against women or other relevant areas for this ToR.
• Experience in Papua New Guinea’s development context and socio- cultural, political and economic systems and knowledge of situation of violence against women in the Pacific.
• Experience of carrying out consultative qualitative research and in producing out analytical reports.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in working with international organizations (successful experience in working with UN agencies is an asset)

Language skills:

• Excellent verbal and written English. Proficiency in Pidgin (PNG) is an asset.

Evaluation procedure

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Advanced University degree in human rights, gender studies, public relations, development studies, law, statistics and/or other social or economic science related to the areas relevant for the assignment;
• Minimum 5 years of proven research experience including in the area of gender equality, ending violence against women or other relevant areas for this ToR.

The short-listed individual consultants will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis scheme, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes. Cost under this method of analysis Is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 500 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interview will be organized only if needed, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

1. Technical Evaluation: The technical part is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

B) Financial evaluation:

In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 245 points), will be compared.

WINNING CANDIDATE

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

1. Application process and submission package

Interested candidates must submit via online submission system the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualification:

• Letter of Intent with justification of being the most suitable for the work, vision and working approach, specifically indicating experience of carrying out consultative research and in producing out analytical reports
• Duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and/or CV, including records on past experience in similar projects/assignments and specific outputs obtained;
• Financial proposal (in USD) – specifying an all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs as per template provided.

Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.

Sample of Financial Proposal

The format shown on the following tables is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal