Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) is looking for a consultant to develop a policy scan and a scorecard on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) policies in 5 MEA Alliance countries – Liberia, Mali, Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria.
The purpose of the policy scan is to identify if there are existing FGM policies in Liberia, Mali, Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria and to establish whether or not such policies take into account the need to engage men and boys in ending FGM. It will also serve to inform the development to the policy advocacy strategy on engaging men and boys to address FGM.
Background
Sonke Gender Justice, established in 2006, is an organisation that strives to prevent domestic and sexual violence, reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS and promote gender equality and human rights. Sonke ’s work is in all of South Africa’s nine provinces and also in 22 countries across Southern, Eastern, Central and Western Africa, and globally in partnership with United Nations agencies, members of the Men Engage Alliance and other international networks and affiliates.
Sonke is a founding member of MenEngage, a global alliance made up of dozens of country networks across the world, hundreds of non-governmental organisations as well as UN partners. MenEngage works collectively and individually towards advancing gender justice, human rights, and social justice to achieve a world in which all can enjoy healthy, fulfilling, and equitable relationships and their full potential. The global Alliance consists of representatives from each continent who in turn coordinate the country networks in their respective continents. Sonke is also the secretariat and co-chair of MenEngage Africa (MEA) Alliance, which consists of 22 countries. Sonke provides capacity building and technical support to partners within the MEA Alliance.
MEA, the regional network of the MenEngage Global Alliance, is a network of civil society organisations and activists formed in 2006 with the goal of working in partnership to promote the engagement of men and boys in achieving gender equality, preventing HIV, promoting human rights and reducing violence at all levels across the continent, including questioning the structural barriers that drive gender inequalities. The membership of MEA consists of a range of civil society organisations representing women’s rights, HIV/Aids, LGBTQIA+ rights, youth and child rights, refugees and migrants, and social justice constituencies. All 22 MEA country networks have existing and strive to build stronger, working relations with feminist women’s rights, child rights and youth movements, LGBTIQA+ rights movement and other social justice movements, as well as local and national governments and UN agencies, which are seen as strategic partners. The country networks aim to undertake joint programming, research, and policy and advocacy activities to contribute to the achievement of gender equality.
Among other things, as part of its 5-year Strategic Plan, MEA seeks to contribute to the elimination of all forms of discrimination, violence and harmful practices against all women and girls and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM is internationally recognised as a violation of womxn’s rights. In common with other forms of gender-based violence (GBV), it is considered a breach of a woman’s fundamental right to life, liberty, security, dignity, and equality. The practice is perpetuated by an entrenched sense of social obligation and is endorsed for perceived cultural, social, economic, religious, or hygienic reasons, including marriage suitability, controlling womxn’s sexuality and rites of passage. Rigid gender norms and harmful practices that determine individuals’ behaviour, causing GBV and gender injustice, are upheld and reinforced by the community, civil society, and state institutions alike. National governments, although often “progressive” at the international level, for a number of reasons, fail to formulate and/or implement laws, policies and programmes that address the root causes of GBV and gender injustice, and are rarely held accountable when womxn’s rights are violated.
Thus, as part of its initiatives to address FGM under UNFPA-UNICEF Spotlight Initiative, MEA seeks to conduct a policy scan of laws and policies that address FGM in the 5 mentioned countries.
Consultancy Objectives, Purpose and Expected Results
Overall Objective
The overall goal of the consultancy is to conduct a policy scan research to assess if there are laws and policies that address FGM in Libera, Mali, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria and whether or not such laws and policies take into account the need to engage men and boys in addressing FGM. The consultant will also develop a scorecard to compare how the 5 countries perform in terms of having laws and policies that include engaging men and boys as well as addressing harmful social and cultural norms. The consultant will also provide recommendations on how policies can be improved to better engage men and boys. The report will be used to inform the development of the policy advocacy strategy, which seeks to strengthen the focus on engaging men and boys in addressing FGM at national and regional levels.
Deliverables
The consultant will be expected to deliver the following outputs:
- A Policy Scan report for the 5 countries
- A scorecard on the performance of the 5 countries in terms of having laws and policies that include engaging men and boys to address FGM as well as addressing harmful social and cultural norms.
Location and Timing
The consultant will work from where they are based.
Timelines
The project should be completed within 10 days.
Required Expertise
- Strong conceptual and research/analytical skills with the ability to quickly analyse data and information from different sources and produce coherent reports.
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with strong demonstrated ability to convey complex ideas in a clear, direct, and lively style.
- Strong background in policy analysis and research.
