Child Protection Specialist (UNICEF)- Employment, career opportunity in Tanzania

Job Title Child Protection Specialist- Violence against Children
Post Level L3
Location Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Organization: UNICEF Children's Fund
Type of Contract Temporary Appointment (364 days)
Vacancy No. 2013/13
Opening Date 4Th Sept 2013
Deadline: 18Th Sept 2013

BACKGROUND:
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Tanzania is seeking the interest of a qualified Child Protection Specialist in the area of Child Protection Systems Strengthening with a focus on violence against children (VAC).

The passage through the Tanzanian Parliament of the Law of the Child Act (LCA) in 2009 was a landmark piece of national legislation aimed at protection children. The Law of the Child Act, for the first time in domestic legislation, enshrines fundamental rights of children and lays the foundation for a child protection system that obliges a range of bodies to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children.

The obligation of all States to work toward the elimination of all forms of violence against children is recognized by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Tanzania in 1991. Efforts to prevent violence form part of the government’s national commitment to uphold the right of each child to his or her human dignity and physical integrity. This commitment is reflected in the LCA. Tanzania is the second country in Africa, after Swaziland, to undertake a National Survey on Violence against Children- measuring all forms of violence (sexual, physical, and emotional) amongst girls and boys, giving national estimates of the prevalence of violence and child protection concerns in the country. The survey was launched in August 2011 with key Priority Responses identified by the Government and civil society to address the report’s findings. While the law was enacted before the launch of the VAC survey, the evidence on the scale of the problem of violence against children has provided the catalyst for commitment and has led to the beginning of a process of reform in Tanzania.

The Multi-Sector Task Force on Violence against Children (MSTF VAC), coordinated by the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children (MCDGC), with support from UNICEF, oversees the national response and has developed and launched a 3 year National Plan of Action to Prevent and Respond to Violence against Children (2013-2016), building on the key Priority Responses identified across seven sectors. These sectors include: the Police, Justice, Education Health and Social Welfare. Civil Society, through the Tanzanian Child Rights Forum, and the Inter Religious Council of Peace, also play an important role in the implementation of the National Plan.

This National Plan details specific targets and interventions across the Government sectors to address the child protection concerns raised by the Survey and related child protection concerns not directly linked to the report’s findings. The objectives and specific targets of the National Plan support and expand upon existing national efforts to strengthen the national child protection system to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children in line with the law.

The other National Plan of Action governing the child protection work in Tanzania is the National Costed Plan of Action for Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) 2013-2017. The Plan includes a strategic priority on strengthening and expanding the child protection system at the Local Government Authority (LGA) level. The Plan defines a coordination structure for the MVC agenda from national level down to the village level. Children at risk of or experiencing harm are included in the definition of MVC. There is considerable synergy in the two National Plans of Action on violence and on MVC with significant overlap in the key players responsible for both of the plans.

This position carries a portfolio of work related to the delivery of high level technical support and leadership for translating child protection legislative reform and priority responses for children into action. The position carries a strategic focus on monitoring and reporting child rights’ violations using the Violence against Children Survey as compelling evidence to inform policy and programming, especially across multi sectors including Education and Health. The position has been discussed with the convening Ministry for the Multi-Sector Task Force, MCDGC, with a view to linking the UNICEF officer recruited for this position with the identified officer within the Ministry for the period of the position to facilitate UNICEF handing over the Secretariat function to the Ministry during the period. The position will also engage with the key ministry responsible for the NPA on MVC, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in particular the Department of Social Welfare, as well as with the Prime Minister’s Office and Prime Minister’s Office for Regional and Local Government to maximize coordination mechanisms on violence against children.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Within the Child Protection Systems Strengthening programme, under the supervision of the Chief of Child Protection, the staff member will be responsible for coordinating with Government and other partners in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the National Plan of Action to Prevent and Respond to Violence against Children (2013-2016), and ensuring linkages with the NPA for MVC. Specific areas of work will include:

1) Document the implementation, including achievements and challenges from the Government’s One Year Report, From Commitments to Action (2012-2013), in order to produce an Annual Report.
2) Secretariat support to the MCDGC for the Multi-Sector Task Force including the organization of meetings, preparation of sectoral quarterly reports, workshops, field trips and documentation of all of the above.
3) Support MCDGC to undertake monitoring and reporting against results of the National Plan of Action to Prevent and Respond to Violence against Children, and to prepare an Annual Report in 2014 on the status of the implementation of the Plan.
4) Support the Department of Social Welfare and the Prime Minister’s Office to operationalize the national coordination structure for the MVC agenda as per the NPA on MVC (2013-2017), in particular ensuring linkages with the VAC agenda.
5) Work closely with the Child Protection Systems Specialist and Child Justice Specialist to ensure that the key provisions within the National Plan on VAC reflect accountabilities of these sectors’ officers at the Local Government Authority level and are fed into the development of the child protection regulations guidance (being developed to implement the LCA).
6) Facilitate technical discussions within UNICEF to ensure that the commitments made within the health, education and HIV/AIDS sectors particularly are implemented as part of the child protection system at the Local Government Authority level. There is a need to pay particular attention to linkages between VAC programming and GBV programming across the sectors to build synergies and maximize funding opportunities.
7) Provide substantive review, recommendations and input to key documents including drafting fact sheets, donor reports and project proposals as requested by the Section Chief, including providing disaggregated VAC data and inputs to all Child Protection programme documents.
8) Support Zanzibar, as appropriate, in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Plan of Action.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
• Advanced university degree, preferably in the social sciences, law, public policy or other relevant field
• 5 years’ experience in the area of child rights and child protection (experience in Africa is desirable)
• Experience in working with national and local government and with CSOs
• Experience in project management
• Excellent organizational skills
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills
• Excellent writing skills
• Excellent people skills
• Computing skills
• Fluency in English- knowledge of Kiswahili is an advantage

UNICEF is committed to gender balance and diversity without distinction as to race,
gender or religion and without discrimination of persons with disabilities.
Qualified Female Candidates are encouraged to apply

UNICEF is a smoke-free environment.

How to apply:

Interested candidates should apply online explaining clearly how they qualify for this position with a copy of their CV. Applications should be addressed to The Human Resources Manager, UNICEF Tanzania Country Office, Dar Es Salaam, and sent to: hr.tanzania@unicef.org indicating clearly Vacancy No. 2013/13. Applications not quoting the title and number will automatically be disqualified. Please DO NOT attach copies of your certificates/diplomas.