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.

In 2023, UN Women hired an expert team of consultants to update the Partnership for Peace model, manual and curriculum, as well as to conduct stakeholder sensitization sessions and feedback across the Caribbean. An updated Model, Manual and Curriculum have been drafted and will be introduced across the region over the next two years.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO – Caribbean Representative, and day to day supervision of the Planning and Coordination Specialist (Trinidad and Tobago) the consultants will complete the following objectives:

1. Finalize and validate the updated Partnership for Peace (PfP) model, manual and curriculum.
2. Host a series of Training of Trainer Workshops on the updated PfP Model within at least 4 identified countries with the Caribbean region.
3. Conduct an assessment of the Bahamian justice landscape for integration of the PfP programme and develop a PfP implementation strategy, and training tools and materials.
4. Support the implementation of the PfP Programme in at least two (2) identified countries within the Caribbean region.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The consultants are expected to deliver the following results:

Inception Report

• Develop a detailed inception report and workplan to carry out the assignment, including a comprehensive timeline, list of stakeholders, proposed approach and methodology.

Finalize and validate the updated Partnership for Peace (PfP) model, manual and curriculum.

• Review and finalize the updated regional PfP model, manual and curriculum and present feedback.
• Validate the updated model, manual and curriculum through a pilot test/focus group discussions, with an identified cohort of key stakeholders.

Host a series of Training of Trainer Workshops on the updated PfP Model within at least 4 identified countries with the Caribbean region.

• Design training materials, using a ‘Train the Trainer’ approach, on the updated PfP model, manual and curriculum and present for feedback.
• Facilitate in-depth ToT workshops for relevant stakeholders using the approved materials and tools.

Conduct an assessment of the Bahamian justice landscape for integration of the PfP programme and develop a PfP implementation strategy, and training tools and materials.

• Conduct a comprehensive desk review and mapping of the justice landscape for integration of the PfP programme in the Bahamas.
• Draft a PfP implementation strategy, training tools and materials, and present for feedback.

Support the implementation of the PfP Programme in at least two (2) identified countries within the Caribbean region.

• Provide support in the form sensitisation, training and technical support to key stakeholders implementing the programme.
• Monitor the effectiveness of the delivery of the programme and provide recommendations for improvement.

Final Report

• Produce a final report, based consultation findings and feedback, and including progress, outcomes and challenges encountered.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity and Fairness
• 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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including conveying complex concepts and recommendations in a clear style.
• Strong gender and social research, analytical and report writing skills.
• Knowledge of the social, cultural, legal and political context of the Caribbean.
• Ability to create and maintain networks and partnerships.
• Ability to interact independently as part of a team.
• Ability to multi-task and operate effectively in stressful situations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree in any of the following areas: Gender and Development, Public Policy, Law, Economics, Social Sciences, Psychology and Public Health.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 10 years’ experience working on gender equality, gender-based violence and human rights issues is required.
• At least 7 years’ experience in facilitation and training, including content development and preparation of training tools is required.
• At least 5 years’ experience with perpetrator rehabilitation programmes is required.
• Experience with the Partnership for Peace programme is required.
• Experience working within the Caribbean region would be considered an asset.
• Experience working with the United Nations is preferred.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

• The consultancy will be home-based, with travel as required to the Caribbean. All travel will be covered by the MCO Caribbean.
• Each consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 90 working days within the period, 1 April 2024 to 1 April 2025.

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 consultancy, 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 run at least Windows 7. The consultants must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required.

Other:

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