Overview : In West Africa, thousands of children still face problems such as exploitation through trafficking, social practices and cultures detrimental to their well-being, violence and abuse. These difficulties are a lasting obstacle to the efforts made by States to guarantee the enjoyment of the rights of the child. In addition, faced with the political and economic crises facing States, the public resources dedicated to investing in the protection of children remain very insignificant given the demographic weight of these children in the region. Children, due to their demographic weight and their low resilience in the face of shocks, suffer the full consequences of the social and economic changes which States are facing. The COVID 19 pandemic that occurred in the West African region from March 2020 had negative consequences on the efforts made by States to ensure the effectiveness of the rights of the children. Indeed, the drastic measures taken at the start of the pandemic by governments to curb the spread of the virus have considerably affected children. The closure of schools, the restriction of public freedoms and the abandonment of health structures have had negative impacts on the well-being of children in the various countries of the West African region. Aware of this situation and in accordance with its mandate to promote and protect human rights in West Africa, the Regional Office for West Africa of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has undertaken well before the advent of the COVID 19 health crisis, the implementation of a regional project for the promotion and protection of children called the Support Project for the Protection of Children Victims of Violations of Their Rights (PAPEV). The PAPEV aims to strengthen the initiatives already undertaken against the exploitation and abuse of children at national levels which need to be sustained through an integrated regional approach. The project concerns six countries in the West African region, namely Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and The Gambia. The objective of the project is to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, in particular SDG 16 and 5, through the implementation of the recommendations of international and regional mechanisms for the protection of the rights of the child aimed at the creation of ' a safe and just environment for children victims of violation of their rights thanks to their legal, judicial and social care in the ECOWAS region. Since its launch in The Gambia in July 2019, a number of activities have been carried out to support The Gambia Government in strengthening the legal framework for child protection, advocacy for the domestication of child protection instruments and support for child protection. periodic reporting process and support to mitigate the COVID crisis etc. These many achievements have aroused great interest from the Government and partners as evidenced by the involvement at the highest level of state structures in charge of the realization of children's rights and the interest given to the National Steering Committees which is the main governance body of the project. The occurrence of the COVID 19 pandemic in March 2020 in the West African region, particularly in the six beneficiary countries of the project, thus constituted an opportunity to support governments in the implementation of their response plans against the pandemic, particularly in the protection of children. In The Gambia, the support offered by PAPEV includes the provision of food and non sanitary items to 50 Majalis Centres, food support to the Bakoteh Shelter for Children, a solar powered borehole for the Shelter for Children and reintegration kits for 50 children in the Majalis wishing to return home to their families due to the COVID crisis. In addition to the support from the PAPEV Project, various other partners from the private Sector, State and non state agencies, as well as individuals, also provided support to the Gambia Government to protect children against the effects of the COVID 19 Pandemic. The COVID 19 pandemic has exposed how the vulnerability of children can be aggravated in times of emergency. In order to assess the relevance and effectiveness of the actions deployed by the Gambia Government during the crisis to protect children against its harmful effects of the COVID crisis, the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (BRAO / HCHD) intends to conduct a study in the Gambia to assess the efforts made by The Government of The Gambia to protect children from the consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic. For this purpose, the project seeks to secure the services of a national expert / consultant in The Gambia who will conduct the study. These terms of reference determine the conditions required for the recruitment of said expert. Objective The general objective of this mission is to help promote better protection of children in emergency situations through the national child protection system in The Gambia. Specifically, to carry out the following tasks: - Evaluate, document the consequences of violations of children's rights in the context of COVID 19 in The Gambia: this evaluation will focus on children's rights impacted by the COVID 19 crisis
- Appreciate the relevance and effectiveness of measures taken by governments to protect children from the effects of the health crisis. This assessment could be measured by highlighting the conformity of the actions deployed with the recommendations of the treaty bodies with regard to the protection of children in emergency situations;
- Provide information on the impact of support granted to beneficiaries, in particular the PAPEV Project
- Based on the lessons learned, propose lines of action and strategies to be implemented by the government of The Gambia to prevent the consequences of emergency situations on the one hand and on the other hand put in place effective measures for the protection of children during emergency situations
Submit Technial and Financial proposals to: bids.gm@undp.org Email subject: "Protection of children from effects of COVID" |