Terms of Reference for Expert in data processing, analysis, and writing researches on gender equality, gender stereotypes, and reducing the risks of gender-based violence among the population of youth, with a specific emphasis on girls

Published on 9^th August 2018

Project title: With and for Girls - Support to local Youth Offices to work on gender equality awareness raising

Project is carried out in cities Kikinda, Belgrade, Novi Pazar, Jagodina and Vranje from August 1^st, 2018 until July 31^st 2019.

INTRODUCTION

NGO Atina has, for 15 years now, been working in the field of supporting women and girl’s survivors of gender-based violence and exploitation. Atina focuses on the well-being of youth, predominantly girls and young women, as one of its main goals. Through its prevention activities, Atina is ensuring that young people receive valid information about their possibilities, their rights, but also their obligations toward the society, as well as about risks they could face and which could jeopardize them. The approach is equally covering youth at risk and youth who have already established a system of support which reduces risks to a minimum. Through specific methodology, knowledge is gained on how to overcome vulnerability in certain situations. In addition, through educational workshops and mentoring, Atina is together with young people opening a dialogue toward wider community about questions of public concern such as gender equality, importance of women’s rights, reduction of poverty, gender stereotypes and roles, risks of gender-based violence.

RATIONALE

In the past two decades, several important steps have been undertaken in Serbia aimed at improving and promoting gender equality and strengthening the overall social position and role of girls and women. In this regard, certain legislative acts have been adopted, such as the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and Draft Law on Gender Equality. An important assumption here is the adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, the so-called Istanbul Convention, ratified by Serbia in 2013. In the institutional sense, significant improvements have also been made - the Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality has been founded, along with the office of the national and local ombudsman, etc. and a quota for the number of women in the Parliament of Serbia has been raised. However, despite these positive changes, the situation in practice is still far from satisfactory, that is, stereotypes and prejudices about gender functions, social role of women, as well as marginalization of women and girls and violence against them are still widely present. Unfortunately, the number of cases of the most drastic form of violation of women's human rights, femicide,^[1] is not decreasing, and it seems that the system does not respond sufficiently to achieve this, that is, to improve the general security of women. Women are still “intended” for a reduced social and public role, they are rarely in executive or decision-making places, both in the private and public sector, their average salary is lower than the earnings of men in the same position, and so on. Out of more than 160 local governments in Serbia, women are at the forefront of only 7% of cities and municipalities. The unequivocal social position of women, and then the violence they are exposed to, therefore represent a consequence of a deeply-rooted understanding of gender patterns as given and necessary, and as the basis for the social division of roles between women and men, according to which women have a passive role, i.e. a role of the suffering party.

Although there have been certain analysis on the perception of youth on gender stereotypes, i.e. the presupposed social role of men and women (for example, the analysis carried out by Atina in 2010 on the perception of youth on gender and LGBT equality)^[2] there is insufficient information on the extent to which young people bring gender stereotypes in relation to violence against women and girls, and on whether the education they could receive in that sense would make an impact on changing their perception toward “gender-specific” social roles of women and men. Analysis was very well received in local communities, many Local Youth Offices were presenting its findings at the events they were organizing and advocated for changes within their local scopes of youth policies. Encouraging and forming certain perception among youth can significantly shape social relations, as well as development of a society as a whole, and it is therefore important to work with them on eradication of gender stereotypes. If this issue is not adequately and continuously addressed in work with youth, another issue arises – of the successful implementation of existing legal and institutional mechanisms for the promotion of gender equality and the suppression of violence against women.  

Youth Offices, with local units of State Administration, represent a potentially important institutional mechanism for the promotion of gender equality, as well as the reduction of social inequality between the sexes, i.e. the suppression of violence against women. These offices have been formed with the aim to develop and improve local youth policies, but also to deal with other issues of importance for youth, as well as for wider social community. Youth Offices represent an important link in educating youth to recognize sexist expression, sexual violence and respond to it, in deconstructing gender patriarchal stereotypes. In this regard, it is important to strengthen the capacities of these Offices, their networking and cooperation with nongovernmental organizations, particularly women’s nongovernmental organizations such as Atina, but other local feminist NGOs as well.

In order for the Youth Offices to create and successfully carry out activities aimed at identifying the perceptions of youth on the connection between gender stereotypes and violence against women and girls, it is important for them to receive appropriate education by experienced and relevant trainers. In this regard, it is necessary to design training programs for representatives of Youth Offices and to provide mentoring of their activities after the completed training. The intention of the proposed project is to provide training for Youth Offices on the relation between gender stereotypes / gender-based “social” division of roles, and violence against women and girls. After the training, representatives of Youth Offices would conduct peer workshops with a wider youth population on the correlation between gender stereotypes and gender-based violence.

SCOPE OF WORK

Expert in data processing, analysis and writing researches on gender equality, gender stereotypes and reducing the risks of gender-based violence among the population of youth, with a specific emphasis on girls will be responsible for designing a methodology for the research, questionnaire on correlation between gender equality, gender stereotypes and reducing the risks of gender-based violence, collection of data for the analysis, data processing and creation of the Final Analysis. In order to achieve this, Expert should conduct following activities:

1. Design a methodology and questionnaire on correlation between gender equality, gender stereotypes and reducing the risks of gender-based violence: to conduct desk research on previous researches on the topic, develop questionnaire using participatory method and desk analysis results. The information from the questionnaire should serve to create an Analysis on the correlation between gender equality, gender stereotypes and reducing the risks of gender-based violence, gender-based division of social roles between women and men with gender-based violence.
2. Collect data for the analysis through YO in five different cities. With this questionnaire, from 200 to 250 girls (in five different cities) should be interviewed, 18 and 19 years old, in schools The data should be collected in hard copy.
3. Process data using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Processed data should provide the base for analysis on the correlation between gender equality, gender stereotypes and reducing the risks of gender-based violence, gender-based division of social roles between women and men with gender-based violence.
4. Create the Final Analysis which should present the correlation between gender equality, gender stereotypes and reducing the risks of gender-based violence. Analysis should develop recommendations for future actions in fighting gender inequality. Recommendations should be participatory with the support of Expert for training and mentoring, and with full participation of YO. The first draft of analysis should be presented on press conference on December 10th, 2018 at the Human rights day and last day of 16 days of activism in Belgrade.

These activities are to last four months and should finish by 30 November 2018.

BUDGET:

NGO Atina will negotiate number of days of engagement with the selected consultant on the basis of the financial offer (gross amount) that will classify the following:

*Add columns as needed depending on the number of activities needed to perform the assignment

            Subtotal                                               USD__________

            Other costs (specify)                           USD__________

            TOTAL                                               USD__________

The total cost should cover all preparatory work regarding the job description, communication costs between Project team, consultants and organizations (e-mail, telephone, fax, mail).

BIDDING PROCEDURE

Interested consultant should develop and submit the bidding proposal in English language to respond to above mentioned specific tasks no later than 15 August, 2018. The bidding proposal should include:

1. Description and contact details of the expert applying;

2. A clear description of the methodological approach

3. A detailed Budget Proposal (in the required form);

4. CV of expert involved emphasizing only relevant experience;

5. Past performance in similar areas of a consultant applying, with reference of previous contracting agencies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Project team will make a decision on the selection of the most successful bidder, subject to the available budget, on the following four criteria:

• University degree in the relevant field;
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience;
• Experience of the candidate in performing similar projects or programs;
• An example of previous work as a reference of previous experience is desirable.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF BID

All bids need to be submitted no later than 15^th August 2018 at 5PM in electronic version, to the email zorana.parezanovic@atina.org.rs (link sends e-mail). A selection will be made no later than 16^th August 2018 and the selected consultant will be contracted no later than 17^th August, 2018.

Only the selected candidate will be informed.