kNOwVAWdata Internship with with Gender-based Violence and Harmful Practices Team

Background and Overview: kNOwVAWdata initiative

Reliable, comparable data on VAW prevalence are essential to inform and to monitor effective prevention and response efforts and are also an essential part of a comprehensive approach to ending all forms of violence against women and girls. However, there remains a lack of technical capacity to collect VAW data. Taken together, this lack of data and capacity are major obstacles to developing appropriate and context-specific VAW policies, and they hamper sound programming, monitoring and evaluation.
Against this backdrop, there is a growing call for reliable and comparable prevalence data on VAW. In 2011, the United Nations Statistical Commission first adopted nine standard indicators for measuring violence against women. With the adoption by Member States of Target 5.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to “eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in private and public spheres, including trafficking, sexual exploitation and other types of exploitation”, demand for VAW prevalence data has grown.

In light of this growing demand for more accurate and reliable measurement of VAW prevalence, and building on its track record supporting VAW data collection in the region, UNFPA, with support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), established the kNOwVAWdata initiative in 2016 to support and strengthen sustainable regional and national capacity to measure violence against women safely, ethically and in line with global standards.

The initiative is centred around sustainability, by strengthening capacities of national institutions to collect and analyze data, in particular by using internationally recognized, best practice survey methodologies, such as the methodology developed for the WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence and the Domestic Violence module of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).

Organizational Setting

The kNOwVAWdata initiative is managed and implemented by the Gender-based Violence and Harmful Practices (GBV&HP) Team within the UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office (APRO). Jessica Gardner, Technical Advisor VAW Data and Research, is the technical lead, providing advice and support to national VAW studies, and capacity building on measurement of VAW.

The internship will take place in the UNFPA APRO, Bangkok. The intern will work under the guidance of the Technical Advisor VAW Data and Research, as part of the GBV&HP team.
A workplan with achievements for the duration of the Internship and learning opportunities will be agreed upon. We tailor internships to individual interests and backgrounds so that this is a meaningful professional experience.

Duration of the internship:
Minimum of three months and maximum of six months.

Key tasks and responsibilities:
Conducting research analysis (mainly quantitative/statistical analysis), literature review, preparing written reports, peer-reviewed articles, fact sheets, presentations and other products to disseminate research findings, and presenting research findings.

Specific tasks (depending on duration) may include:
• Support pilot testing of VAW survey methods
• Assisting in data analysis and drafting of sections of report to present findings
• Contribute to write-up of protocols, training materials, fact sheets
• Targeted literature review as needed
• Attending and participating in inter-agency meetings and fora
• Drafting minutes and reports from meetings and workshops

Required Competencies:
Values:
• Exemplifying integrity,
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
• Embracing cultural diversity,
• Embracing change.

Core Competencies:
• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships.

Qualifications and Experience:
• Active enrolment or completion of a post-graduate university programme in epidemiology/sociology/demography/public health/gender and development or related fields
• Strong quantitative and statistical skills and experience with statistical packages (eg SPSS, Stata)
• Demonstrated interest in Violence against Women research, for example demonstrated by 1-2 years relevant professional and/or voluntary work experience.
• Fluency in English and strong communication skills
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail
• Ability to write clearly and concisely
• Initiative, sound judgement
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds

Learning Elements
Upon completion of the assignment, and depending on its duration, the Intern should be able to:
1. Increase their understanding of the UN system
2. Understand the mandate and policies of UNFPA
3. Understand the dynamics of regional UN interagency initiatives
4. Learn about and understand gender equality and gender based violence technical and conceptual frameworks and programmatic responses with a focus on VAW prevalence surveys, data analysis and reporting.
5. Write and formulate complex documents for a variety of audiences.
6. Network effectively with UN agencies and other partners
7. Work as a team member in a multicultural setting

Financial Aspects
Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party (such as an academic institution, university, government) are eligible to receive a stipend as a contribution towards living expenses. The stipend is based on the intern’s agreed place of work, which may be different from the duty station of the hiring office in cases of remote arrangements. The stipend is normally paid in local currency at the end of each month. Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship.