Violence against children (VAC) is one of the most severe human rights violations, with devastating and long-lasting consequences that go beyond individual suffering and affect a whole society. Despite advances in protective legislation, Brazil continues to record alarming rates of violence against its young population. In addition to the unacceptable human cost, this violence imposes a heavy economic burden on the country, undermining human capital development and overloading public health, security, and social assistance systems.

Recognizing the multifaceted nature of violence affecting children and adolescents, UNICEF’s Child Protection program works to bring greater visibility to this critical issue by producing evidence and fostering dialogue and partnerships across sectors. Simultaneously, UNICEF’s Social Policy works to strengthen public investment in policies that protect the rights and well-being of the most vulnerable children, adolescents and their families.

Measuring the economic costs of violence is a powerful tool for advocacy and for designing more effective public policies. Cost-benefit analysis shows that investing in prevention of and response to VAC is not only a moral imperative but also an economically sound strategy capable of generating significant long-term returns. Realizing every child’s right to a life free from violence requires sustained public investment in child protection systems to safeguard them from harm, alongside robust prevention programs that reduce the long-term costs to individuals and society.

In this context, UNICEF and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) are partnering to produce robust and detailed evidence on the economic costs of VAC in Brazil. By quantifying the costs of inaction as well as costs related to prevention and response to VAC, the study will provide essential inputs to raise awareness among policymakers, parliamentarians, and civil society about the magnitude of the problem. In doing so, it aims to strengthen the prioritization of policies for the protection of children and adolescents, optimize resource allocation, and build a solid investment case for ending violence against children and adolescents in Brazil.

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The proposed assignment aims to estimate the welfare cost associated with homicides and suicides of children and adolescents in Brazil and to estimate intangible costs related to morbidity (loss of quality of life) resulting from VAC in Brazil, in order to subsidize the estimation of the economic cost of VAC in Brazil conducted by the UNICEF and the Ipea to support evidence-based public policy formulation.

The consultancy will employ statistical and econometric methods to conduct quantitative analysis of secondary data from administrative records and nationally representative household surveys, such as the  Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD Contínua) and the National Health Survey (PNS), the Mortality Information System (SIM) and the Hospitalization Information System (SIH), and Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan), the National System for Socio-Educational Services (Sinase) and the the SUAS Census – Unified Social Assistance System.

The calculation of welfare costs shall be based on the Willingness to Pay approach to estimate the monetary value of welfare loss resulting from premature mortality due to homicides and suicides. The methodology shall be oriented by the model described by Cerqueira and Soares, which allows for the incorporation of age, gender, and educational-level heterogeneities in the valuation of a statistical life.

To estimate the intangible costs related to morbidity, the consultancy shall apply the Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) methodology recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). DALY combines years of life lost due to premature death (YLL) with years lived with disability (YLD). The monetary value of the DALY will be estimated based on the value of a statistical life (VSL) used in the calculation of welfare cost, allowing for the quantification of the cost of morbidity and loss of quality of life.

It will involve the following expected tasks:

1. Estimate the monetary value of welfare loss resulting from premature mortality due to homicides and suicides of children and adolescents in Brazil.
2. Map the main health conditions (sequelae) that affect children and adolescents as a direct result of different types of violence (physical, psychological, sexual, neglect). These sequelae can be acute or chronic and include, but are not limited to: Physical Injuries (fractures, traumatic brain injuries, burns, internal organ damage), Mental Disorders (post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders), Neurological Conditions (cognitive impairments resulting from trauma), Infectious Diseases (sexually transmitted infections as a consequence of sexual violence).
3. Calculate Years Lived with Disability (YLD) for each sequela using the formula: YLD = I × DW × L, where:
   1. “I” refers to the number of new cases of each health sequela identified in the mapping that are directly attributable to a violent event in a given year.
   2. “DW” refers to Disability Weight, which is a standardized value that reflects the severity of a specific health condition. The scale ranges from 0 (perfect health) to 1 (equivalent to death).
   3. “L” refers to Duration of Disability (in years) - the average time an individual lives with the sequela.
4. Calculate total DALYs due to morbidity, summing up the values to obtained in the previous step.
5. Monetize DALYs to estimate the intangible cost.
6. Elaborate reports consolidating key findings from the analyses and providing evidence-based policy recommendations. All key assumptions and limitations should be clearly described. The data will complement and provide inputs for the broader study of UNICEF and IPEA on economic costs of VAC and its prevention and response.

 

The consultant will work in close collaboration with UNICEF and Ipea.

 

DELIVERABLES

              1. Inception report with literature review.

1.1. Deliverables/Outputs: Inception report containing methodology, workplan and literature review.

1.2. Deadline: 60 days from the beginning of contract

1.3. Estimate Budget: 30% of total amount

2. Preliminary analytical report on the welfare costs of children’s homicides and suicides, and feasibility of quality-of-life losses resulting from VAC in Brazil

2.1. Deliverables/Outputs:  Report with the complete results of the calculation of welfare costs associated with homicides and suicides of children and adolescents in Brazil, along with a feasibility analysis of estimating intangible morbidity-related costs (loss of quality of life) resulting from VAC in Brazil.

2.2. Deadline: 120 days from the beginning of contract

2.3. Estimate Budget: 45% of total amount

3. Final report, executive summary and presentation of results.

3.1. Deliverables/Outputs: A report on indirect intangible costs of VAC in Brazil, including key assumptions and eventual methodological adjustments. The report shall include all results, analyses, conclusions, and public policy recommendations: executive summary and PPT presentation of results.

3.2. Deadline: 200 days from the beginning of contract

3.3. Estimate Budget: 25% from total amount

 

DURATION OF CONTRACT: 210 days

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a relevant field such as Economics or related disciplines.
• At least five years of relevant professional experience in microeconometric modelling and in handling microdata from governmental bodies (e.g. Ministry of Health), research experience on crime particularly on violence against children and adolescents. Additional years of experience are considered an asset.
• Demonstrated advanced programming experience in R or Python.
• Knowledge of geospatial analysis software (e.g., GeoDaSpace) is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information from diverse sources and produce high-quality, evidence-based reports.
• Ability to read and write technical texts in English.
• Proficiency in developing actionable recommendations based on research findings.
• Ability to deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines and manage multiple tasks effectively.

 

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Fluency in Portuguese. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are necessary.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

• 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.

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Remarks:  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.

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