SCOPE OF WORK

Consultant

Gender-Based Violence Service Mapping Exercise

Dates: March – June 2024

Location: All 15 Counties

CRS Liberia Program Brief

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) began working in Liberia in 1957, with a permanent Country Program Office opening in 1990, supporting relief and development operations in the country. CRS Liberia has proudly maintained a strong reputation and relationship with partners and the communities we serve in the country by implementing a multi-sector program portfolio. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, health, agriculture, education, livelihoods, peacebuilding, and WASH.

Introduction

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive human rights violation and a serious public health problem that affects millions of people worldwide, especially women and girls. GBV can have devastating consequences for the physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health of survivors, as well as their social and economic well-being. GBV can also increase the risk of exposure to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, maternal and neonatal complications, and mental health disorders.

The Liberian Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection reported that there were 1,975 Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases reported in 2022 and of this number, 73.7% were rape, sexual assault, and other forms of sexual violence (Kuukpen, 2023). However, as less than 40% of women who experience violence globally report or seek any help (United Nations Economic and Social Affairs, 2015, p. 159), the number of GBV experiences in Liberia during that period is probably higher. Additionally, women who do seek help after experiencing GBV tend to do so from family and friends rather than formal institutions such as criminal justice and health services (Ibid.). Some reasons why this is the norm range from stigma associated with GBV, to limited knowledge by survivors on how to contact these services, to the low capacity of service providers.

In order to prevent and respond to GBV effectively, it is essential to have a comprehensive and coordinated multisectoral approach that involves health, legal, social, protection, and security services. However, in many contexts, GBV services are limited, fragmented, inaccessible, or of poor quality, leaving survivors without adequate care and support. Therefore, it is important to conduct regular mapping and assessment of GBV services to identify the gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement and collaboration among different actors.

Background

CRS launched its Global Gender Strategy in 2013, as an effort to ensure gender-responsive programming in CRS’s emergency and development work around the world. Over the past two years, the Global Gender Strategy has been rolled out across CRS regional and country programs. The strategy defines how CRS approaches gender issues in our programming, working culture, organizational and management structures, and systems across the agency.

In fulfillment of this strategy, specifically Priority Area Five (5) which focuses on Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Mitigation, CRS Liberia, through its Gender Working Group, set an objective for 2024 to undertake a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) service mapping exercise across Liberia’s fifteen (15) counties.

Based on the above, CRS Liberia seeks to hire a consultant to conduct research and develop Gender-Based Violence referral pathways and service mapping (identifying both the location and availability of services) for all fifteen (15) counties across Liberia, covering approximately 130 communities.

Objectives

CRS will hire a consultant, either in the form of a team with a designated team leader that CRS will deal with only or a registered consultant firm, to conduct a GBV service mapping exercise and produce the referral pathways that go along in the form of a flow chart. The GBV referral pathways will consolidate key information on active and effective service agencies/providers and support groups across the fifteen (15) counties in order to guide survivors of GBV to said agencies as they need them. The duration of the consultancy is from April 1 – June 21, 2024.

Specific Objectives:

• To map the active GBV services with flexible mechanisms in 130 communities across various sectors and types of providers (such as health, psychosocial support, case management, safety, child protection, legal, and criminal justice).
• To assess the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of GBV services and the perceptions and knowledge of GBV among stakeholders, using quantitative and qualitative methods.
• To evaluate the capacities, needs, and challenges of GBV service providers and identify the gaps, strengths, and opportunities for improvement and collaboration.
• To develop functional GBV referral pathways with entry points for different survivors per county across all 15 counties in Liberia and disseminate the GBV referral maps and tools.
• Recommend interventions to prevent all forms of violence against women, men, girls, boys, and persons with disabilities (PWD) and advocate for a coordinated national response. This will involve raising awareness and building capacities of GBV service providers and other actors and engaging with policymakers, donors, and the media to advocate for the GBV referral pathways and services.
• Recommend strategies/actions to strengthen GBV service delivery and coordination, based on the findings and best practices. This will involve synthesizing the results and lessons learned from the project and developing a report and a dissemination plan for the recommendations.

Methodology

The prospective consultant is required to submit a detailed methodology on how they intend to undertake the assignment, including methods of, and considerations regarding, data collection, analysis and reporting, sampling, selection and training of enumerators, and relevant stakeholders to be engaged. A detailed timeline is to be submitted as well. Evaluation of the methodology will be based on rigor, soundness, understanding of the assignment, and logical sequencing of the tasks in the assignment.

The consultant will be introduced to and required to sign the CRS Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Code of Conduct, which they must adhere to strictly. It is important to note that survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) should never be intentionally targeted for data collection. However, to prepare for a scenario where a survivor is inadvertently encountered during data collection, CRS will ensure that the data collector(s) completes our “GBV for non-practitioners” training to ensure that their responses are sensitive, and respectful and do not cause harm.

Timeline

Detailed below is the tentative timeline for the project:

Deliverables

The key deliverables for the consultant are as follows:

• A comprehensive database and a directory of GBV service providers in the target area, with their contact details, types of services, locations, coverage, hours, fees, staff, equipment, supplies, and procedures.
• A report on the findings and recommendations of the GBV Service Mapping Exercise, with an analysis of the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of GBV services, as well as the capacities, needs, and challenges of service providers and the coordination mechanisms among different sectors.
• A final consultancy narrative report with recommendations based on findings, highlighting the best practices, challenges, and opportunities for strengthening GBV service delivery and coordination.
• A standardized and functional GBV referral pathway flowchart per county, showing the entry points and steps for different survivors to access GBV services.
• A map of GBV services in the target area, showing the spatial distribution and accessibility of GBV services, as well as the gaps and areas for improvement.
• Two types of static maps:
  • A static map of Liberia pointing out GBV service centers per county, color-coded by the types of services available in each county.
  • Maps per county pointing out the communities where GBV services are available.
• A dissemination plan for sharing the results and recommendations of the GBV Service Mapping Exercise with relevant stakeholders and audiences, such as GBV service providers, GBV survivors, GBV experts, policymakers, donors, and the media.

Qualifications and Application Details

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: CRS Liberia Gender Officer, Program Manager, Head of Programming, CRS Gender Regional Technical Advisor

Place of assignment: CRS Liberia office in Monrovia, with travel to some of the counties for approx. 40% of time.

Period of Performance: The specified period of performance for the tasks outlined in this SoW is scheduled to commence fromApril 1to June 21, 2024.

Evaluation Criteria

Only bidders who are considered technically responsive (technical score of at least 75%) will proceed to the financial evaluation.

Application Period

The call for applications will begin on March 1, 2024, and will close on March 21, 2024, at 4:00 pm.

All applications should be submitted in person to the CRS Liberia country office which is located at:

16th Street Sinkor, Gardner Avenue

Seaside, C-140 Building, Sinkor

Monrovia, Liberia

All applications should include the following:

• Cover letter.
• Technical Proposal (including methodology)
• Proposed budget for the assignment (consultancy fee, logistics, reporting, etc.) in US Dollars.
• CV(s) of consultant team
• At least 2 examples of previous work undertaken within the last 5 years.
• References

ALL selected applicants will be duly notified about the next steps.

Late applications will not be accepted!!