Individual International consultancy to support development of the policy paper on intersection between violence against children and violence against women
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Job no: 591574
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Podgorica
Level: Consultancy
Location: Montenegro
Categories: Child Protection
For every child, protection from any harm.
Prevalence of violence against women and children is very high in Montenegro. According to MICS data from 2018, 66% of children have experienced emotional or physical violence as a form of punishment from adult household member, while 31% were exposed to some form of corporal punishment, and 2% to severe forms of corporal punishment.1 Data on sexual abuse and exploitation of children and women in Montenegro are scarce, still ad hoc and sporadic report from institutions is sufficient to illustrate the magnitude of problem.
Violence against women remains a serious and persistent issue in Montenegro, deeply rooted in gender inequalities and societal norms that tolerate or normalize abuse. Gender-based violence, including domestic violence, sexual violence, psychological abuse, and femicide, continues to be widespread, with many cases going unreported due to fear, stigma, and inadequate institutional responses.
In order to advocate for better understanding and systemically addressing together these two phenomena for Montenegro’s context, it will be necessary to develop comprehensive policy paper analysing the intersection between VaC and VaW. The document should identify which risk and protective factors are most relevant locally, and assess how current services detect, respond to, or overlook these intersections. Moreover, a national analysis can uncover early warning patterns, barriers to integrated service provision, and opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration—insights that are critical for designing more efficient and coordinated systems of prevention and response. The policy paper with analysis will be developed jointly with UN Women. UNICEF Country Office in Montenegro will engage an international expert with expertise in the area of social and child protection, gender based violence, and access to justice justice to work together with UN Women expert in developing this documents. This activity is part of the initiative Strengthening the system support on prevention of violence against women, girls and boys implemented by UNICEF and UN Women in partnership with the Government of Montenegro and funded by the Montenegro SDG Acceleration Fund (MAF) which is supported by the EU and the governments of Luxembourg, Switzerland, Montenegro, Austria and Ireland.
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of the consultancy is to support the Government of Montenegro in strengthening the country’s understanding of intersection between violence against children and women, the two phenomena that are very prevalent but very often addressed in silos.
The objective of the consultancy is to develop Policy Paper with analysis on intersection between VAC and VAW in Montenegro that will include set of recommendations for addressing the two when designing legislation, prevention and response for VaC and VaW.
The consultant is expected to work in close and continuous collaboration with a UN Women expert, who will bring deeper, specialized expertise on violence against women (VAW). This collaborative approach is essential given the cross‑cutting nature of the assignment and the need to ensure coherence between VAC and VAW perspectives. The two experts will be required to coordinate their inputs, jointly conduct the analysis, and harmonize methodologies, findings, and recommendations throughout the assignment.
Both consultants are jointly responsible for producing and delivering one integrated policy paper, rather than separate contributions. This includes jointly shaping the analytical framework, contributing equally to the drafting process, reviewing each other’s inputs, and ensuring that the final document reflects a balanced, evidence‑based, and gender‑ and child‑sensitive approach consistent with the mandates of both UNICEF and UN Women.
The International Consultant is expected to perform tasks under the direct supervision of UNICEF Child Protection Officer.
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Work Assignment Overview
Tasks/Milestone: Deliverables/Outputs Timeline |
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Desk review of relevant international standards including but not limited to: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse - Lanzarote Convention, the EU Directives on Combating child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and child pornography (2011/92/EU) and on Minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime (2012/29/EU), Concluding observations on the third periodic report of Montenegro from CEDAW; other UN and CoE Committee recommendations from Montenegro (4 days) |
Desk review completed and submitted |
by end June 2026 |
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Development of an outline of the document for approval, identifying and organizing the key sections, defining the objectives and scope, and determining the main themes, evidence requirements, and expected outputs (1 day) |
Outline of the document developed and approved |
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Interviews and consultations with relevant key stakeholders, including but not limited to the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior (3 days) |
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By end July 2026 |
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Development of a draft policy paper on VaC and VaW in Montenegro (5 days) |
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by end September 2026 |
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Based on the feedback received, preparation of the final policy paper on intersection between VaC and VaW (2 days) |
Final version of the policy paper delivered (final version accepted and approved by Unicef) |
By or before 15 September 2026 |
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Presentation of the document to the Government (1 day) |
Presentation held |
By 15 November 2026 |
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education:
- Master’s degree in social sciences, law or other relevant fields (such as political science, social work).
- PhD or equivalent diploma will be considered as an advantage.
Experience:
- A minimum of five years of experience in drafting relevant policy papers and standards in the areas of child protection, child-friendly justice and in particular in the area of violence against children and exploitation.
- Experience in developing policy papers and analysis on gender based violence and intersection between violence against children and women.
- Prior work experience in conducting legislation, policy and institutional framework analysis, research, reviews including drafting recommendations in the area of child protection would be an asset.
- Knowledge of UN and CoE guiding standards on protection of children from violence and gender-based violence.
- Knowledge of the context of Montenegro in particular legal and institutional framework relevant to child protection, violence against children, gender based violence will be considered as an advantage.
- Previous work experience with UN/UNICEF or other international organization will be considered as an advantage.
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Excellent command of English and good command of Montenegrin language for solid communication with partners and understanding of written documents
Other:
- Excellent writing skills, presentation skills, strong strategic and analytical skills.
- Ability to work with different stakeholders.
- Demonstrates tact and high sense of responsibility and discretion.
- Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards.
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Payment methodology:
The payments will be made upon successful completion of the deliverables and submission of invoices in two equal instalments (each 50%). UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.
Mandatory e-learning:
Upon conducting the recruitment process and prior to the signing of the contract, the consultant will be required to complete the following online courses. All certificates should be presented as part of the contract.
- Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF
- Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority
- Sexual Exploitation Abuse
Consultants and Individual Contractors must complete the following course before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF.
- BSAFE security training
Any consultant or individual contractor who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract:
- Fraud Awareness
- Information Awareness Security Course (only for consultants/individual contractors with a UNICEF email address)
The above courses can be found on Agora through the following link: Summary of Mandatory Learning for UNICEF Staff Course completion certificates should be shared and retained with the human resources unit of the hiring office.
Selection methodology:
All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements set above. Candidates fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below.
The proposal will be evaluated against the following criteria:
A) Technical criteria – Technical evaluation process / Maximum points:70
1. Technical Criteria
Interview assessment-70 % of total evaluation– max. 70 points
- Education: 20 points
- Previous experience and submitted example of previous relevant work: 20 points
- Technical questions at the interview: 30 points
Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the technical part (who will score at least 49 points) will be qualified for considering for financial proposal evaluation
2. Financial criteria – evaluation of financial proposal - Maximum points:30
The applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal consisting of a professional fee only for the services to be provided.
• Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30].
Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.
Remarks:
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
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. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).
Advertised: Central European Standard Time
Deadline: Central European Standard Time