Yanomami’s Child Protection Against Violence Consultant, Brasilia (home-based), Brazil.

The Yanomami Indigenous Territory (TIY) has 9.6 million hectares of forest located in the states of Roraima and Amazonas, in Brazil, where around 30,000 Yanomami and Ye’kwana indigenous people, speaking at least 5 native languages amongst their groups, live in more than 300 communities. Recently, the TIY has been facing an important increment of illegal mining and logging activities that consequently have been causing an increase of violence, sexual exploitation, disease outbreaks and infant mortality.

In this context, on January 20th, the Ministry of Health declared a Public Health Emergency of National Importance in the Yanomami territory after a massive increase of child mortality due to severe malnutrition, high incidence of malaria and other causes. On the end of January and February a task force of the Ministry of Human Rights (MDH), with the National Secretary of the Rights of Children and Adolescents (SNDCCA) visited Roraima to identify the conditions and needs of the Yanomami children.

Considering this scenario, UNICEF, together with the Ministério Público do Trabalho (MPT) of Brazil, as part of the Project Àwúre, aims to develop strategies and actions for the protection of Yanomamis’ children respecting their cultural specificities for combating child violence and exploitation and for strengthen their child protection system.

Under the overall supervision of the Child Protection Chief, in close coordination with the Child Protection Officer in Roraima, the Consultant is responsible for conduct a review of documents and information, map the local networks in the Yanomami Indigenous Land (TIY) in the State of Roraima, mediate demands with the communities and local leaders in the designated communities and municipalities, with a goal of improving / building mechanisms of an integrated system for the protection of children victims of violence ensuring a proper family and community coexistence and the response against violence, considering the respect for their cultural identity, language and values, and a training for the child protection network.

SCOPE OF WORK:

Under the overall supervision of the Child Protection Chief, in close coordination with the Child Protection Officer in Roraima, the Consultant is responsible for:

• Mapping of child protection system for the Yanomami children who are victims of violence and the existing mechanisms to ensure their protection, identifying legislation, documents and internal regulations of the communities, institutions with their technical composition, and initiatives at national and local levels.
• Mapping of violence against Yanomami children in the context of contact with the non-Yanomami people, focusing on the communities who are near to the municipalities designated in the ToR, as well as in Yanomami people in urban context in these municipalities.
• Analyse the public policies on the protection of children against violence and the services response and evidence, the intersectoral coordination within the child protection system, and initiatives at national and local government levels, considering the implementation of the Law 13.431/17.
• Conduct a listening and consultation workshop with Yanomami leaders, organizations and communities on indigenous children rights and public policies, through integration with Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas (FUNAI).
• Analyse and propose specific approaches for integration of indigenous organizations at national and local systems – within and outside the territories, and complementary alternatives to promote a child-friendly, well-resourced, integrated child protection system, including justice and law enforcement, with strengthened capacities to local workforce, respecting the integrity of their own culture, values, practices, and regulations.
• Final recommendations report with overall analysis on the violence against Yanomami children in the context of contact with non-Yanomami people and on how to prevent and respond this violence.
• Propose systemized workflows for an integrated system for the protection of children victims of violence, respecting their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions.
• Develop a booklet to child protection and health actors on the response to the violence against Yanomami children, including good practices and recommendations to assure the respect for their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions.
• Conduct trainings for the local Yanomami’s child protection network in the 06 municipalities of Roraima: Alto Alegre, Amajari, Boa Vista, Caracaraí, Iracema e Mucajaí, on a response and prevention to violence respecting their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions.
• Conduct trainings for the workforce of the CASAI Y (Casa de Saúde Yanomami) and DSEI Y (Distrito Sanitário Especial Yanomami), on the response and prevention to violence respecting their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions. 

DELIVERABLES: The results will be evaluated by the following deliverables per result:

               1. Deliverable #1: (I) Protection from Violence of Yanomamis children Assessments and (II) Workplan presentation.

1.1. Activities:

1.1.1. Coordination meetings with UNICEF’S child protection team and indigenous focal point.

1.1.2. Mapping of child protection system for the Yanomami children who are victims of violence and the existing mechanisms to ensure their protection, identifying legislation, documents and internal regulations of the communities, institutions with their technical composition, and initiatives at national and local levels.

1.1.3. Mapping of violence against Yanomami children in the context of contact with the non-Yanomami people, focusing on the communities who are near to the municipalities designated in the ToR, as well as in Yanomami people in urban context in these municipalities.

1.1.4. Elaborate a workplan with schedule of meetings, identification of key stakeholders, and for mitigation measures initially designed.

1.1.5. Other activity related to the achievement of the expected result.

1.2. Deadline 14 days after signature of contract.

1.3. Estimate Budget 30%

2. Deliverable #2: (I) Report elaborated with meeting minutes and workshops and (II) Report elaborated with the research, analysis, mitigation measures, workshops, and proposal of specifics approaches. 

2.1. Activities

2.1.1. Coordination meetings with UNICEF’S child protection team and indigenous focal point.

2.1.2. Analyse the protection against children violence public policies and networks response and evidence, the intersectoral coordination within the child protection system, and initiatives at national and local government levels, considering the implementation of the Law 13.431/17.

2.1.3. Conduct a listening and consultation workshop with Yanomami leaders, organizations and communities on indigenous rights and public policies, through integration with FUNAI.

2.1.4. Support and/or conduct meetings with Government and Public institutions, together with UNICEF.

2.1.5. Systemize the findings identifying the gaps, key results, challenges, remedial action, and priorities actions.

2.1.6. Analyse and propose specific approaches for integration of indigenous organizations at national and local systems – within and outside the territories, and complementary alternatives to promote a child-friendly, well-resourced, integrated child protection system, including justice and law enforcement, with strengthened capacities to local workforce, respecting the integrity of their own culture, values, practices, and regulations.

2.1.7. Other activities related to the achievement of the expected result.

2.2. Deadline 90 days after signature of contract.

2.3. Estimate Budget 20%

3. Deliverable #3: (I) Final recommendations report and proposals elaborated and (II) Booklet.

3.1. Activities

3.1.1. Coordination meetings with UNICEF’S child protection team and indigenous focal point.

3.1.2. Final recommendations report with overall analysis on the violence against Yanomami children in the context of contact with non-Yanomami people and on how to prevent and respond this violence.

3.1.3. Propose systemized workflows for an integrated system for the protection of children victims of violence, respecting their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions.

3.1.4. Develop a booklet to child protection and health actors on the response to the violence against Yanomami children, including good practices and recommendations to assure the respect for their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions.

3.1.5. Other activities related to the achievement of the expected result.

3.2. Deadline 120 days after signature of contract.

3.3. Estimate Budget 20%

4. Deliverable #4: (I) Training for the workers of Yanomami’s child protection network in Roraima, and (II) final report with the overall analysis on the effectiveness of the training and the final recommendation for the public policies.

4.1. Activities

4.1.1. Coordination meetings with UNICEF’S child protection team and indigenous focal point.

4.1.2. Conduct trainings for the local Yanomami’s child protection network in the 06 municipalities of Roraima: Alto Alegre, Amajari, Boa Vista, Caracaraí, Iracema e Mucajaí, on a response and prevention to violence respecting their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions, based on the results #1 to #3.

4.1.3. Conduct trainings for the workforce of the CASAI Y and DSEI Y, on the response and prevention to violence respecting their specificities, diversities, cultures, languages, customs, and traditions, based on the results #1 to #3.

4.1.4. Final report with the overall analysis on the effectiveness of the training and the final recommendation for the public policies.

4.2. Deadline 180 days after signature of contract.

4.3. Estimate Budget 30%

DURATION OF CONTRACT: 06 (six) months

TRAVEL PLAN

It will be necessary at least two trips to Roraima, including visits to the municipalities of Boa Vista, Alto Alegre, Amajari, Caracaraí, Iracema e Mucajaí. These last five municipalities will be accessed by car, in close coordination with the UNICEF team, the indigenous leaders and the local services and authorities. Therefore, the financial proposal must include the expenses for such planned travels, such as air travel fare, vehicle rental and fuel to travel inside Roraima, accommodations, among others. If required access to isolated Yanomami communities that could only be accessed by air or river transport, UNICEF will provide the means for it. It is important to note that the consultant will have to access places with unpaved roads.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT

• Advanced University Degree or equivalent in any of the following areas: law, social sciences, anthropology, human rights, psychology, sociology, social work.
• A minimum of 05 years of professional experience in the following areas is required: research on indigenous populations and children/women rights; design of indigenous policies or development programmes at national and/or decentralised levels; Yanomami culture.
• Knowledgeable on the legal, indigenous and child protection system.
• Working experience directly with indigenous organizations and/or in indigenous communities is considered an asset.
• Human-rights relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
• Experience in working with children and adolescents in development or humanitarian contexts is considered an asset.
• Excellent communication, teamwork, coordination and interpersonal skills, and proven success in liaising with different stakeholders to achieve a common goal.
• Competencies required: Diversity and Inclusion, Integrity, Commitment. Communication, Working with People, Drive for Results. Coping with Pressure and Setbacks.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

Fluency in Portuguese required. Knowledge of the Yanomami linguistic family will be considered as an asset.

UNICEF’S CORE VALUES

Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS)

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

GENERAL CONDITIONS: PROCEDURES AND LOGISTICS

• Consultant will work from home using own equipment and stationery. UNICEF will provide office space for consultative meetings when needed.
• Consultant’s, travel costs should be included in the consultant’s fee.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant and mandatory courses are completed.
• Consultants will not have any representative, certifying, or approving authority, or supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
• The consultant will work remotely on a delivery basis.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

• Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.
• A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum, administrative cost, travel cost and subsistence costs, as applicable.
• The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

INSURANCE AND HEALTH COVERAGE

• The contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expenses, such life, health, and other forms of insurance covering the term of the contract as he or she considers appropriate.
• The contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.

RESTRICTIONS

• Consultants may not receive training at the expense of UNICEF.  Notwithstanding, consultants must complete the applicable mandatory trainings before the signature of the contract. 
• In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government​, or unless on leave without pay.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.