Background Information
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is considered a global problem, rampant in Africa, Kenya included. Globally, it is estimated that there are as many as 1.8 million children exploited through commercial sex. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly half of all children aged between 10 and 17 years are working. Kenya has an estimated 1.9 million children working and out of these at least 30,000 are exposed to CSEC.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children is defined as sexual abuse of a child by an adult accompanied by remuneration in cash or in-kind gifts to the child or third person(s). This child is treated as a sexual and commercial object.
As part of national efforts to address the CSEC in Kenya, TdH-NL in partnership with ANPPCAN Regional Office is planning to conduct a Rapid Assessment in Busia, Western Kenya to establish the extent to which CSEC is an issue in the region, its manifestation, and what interventions are currently being undertaken to protect children from this issue. This will inform TdH-NL’s future programming on CSEC in Busia County.
Purpose Of The Consultancy
In order to improve the general dearth of information on CSEC, TdH-NL seeks to commission a qualified institution/firm or individual consultant to conduct a Rapid Assessment focusing on the towns along the two major highways, the border points of Busia and Malaba and the lake beach points in Budalangi Sub County. The assessment will be done in line with specific indicators of interest to TdH-NL and will go a long way in identifying the legal and policy framework in place at county level to address child protection concerns in Busia County.
Objective of the Rapid Assessment
The assessment seeks to identify the categories of children at risk of sexual exploitation, map out towns with high prevalence of CSEC, map out hot spots in these towns, identify/profile categories of offenders or perceived offender profiles, map out child protection structures and services (formal and informal), identify interventions in the target areas that support child protection and review county specific legislation and policies with provisions for the protection of children.
The specific objectives of the Rapid Assessment shall be:
To undertake an assessment through a trends analysis of the following areas:
Up-to-date data on the scale of the problem of SEC in Busia County with a focus on the major towns along the two major highways and two border towns of Busia and Malaba – capture the context, the changing trends (including analysis of how major development projects would impact on children in relation to CSEC), recruitment of children, demographics of children involved and CSEC perpetrators (age, sex/gender, socio-economic background, family composition – of both child victims as well as the perpetrators of CSEC).
Analysis of the knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to CSEC by different community groups (children, parents/caregivers, youth, community leaders and the community in general) and their perceived responsibility in child protection.
Level of reporting and prosecution of child sexual exploitation and abuse cases in the geographical locations.
The push and pull factors that contribute to this phenomenon in Busia.
The link between CSEC and other forms of exploitation (especially child trafficking), as well as exploring any cross-border concerns in the two main border towns.
Collect data on some of the strategies in use in preventing and responding to child exploitation and abuse in the targeted areas – make some innovative recommendations for future programming.
Map out other actors/service providers including government institutions, civil society organisations, interventions and strategies being applied to address and respond to child exploitation and abuse in Busia and assess the gaps and potential weaknesses, and best practices of the identified interventions/service providers.
Assess the county level legal and policy framework regarding provisions for the protection of children.
Main Tasks of the Consultancy
The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:
Suggest an appropriate study methodology/approach for conducting the Rapid Assessment.
Carry out a desk-review of relevant policy and legislative framework and study reports on CSEC and child protection documents (international, national and county specific where possible).
Develop an inception report, detailing the study design, methodology, tools, work plan schedule and budget to carry out the assignment in the county.
Facilitate recruitment and training of field staff ( supervisors, interviewers, observers/record reviewers) and pre-testing of data collection tools.
Coordinate data collection, data entry, cleaning, analysis and interpretation of findings (both qualitative and quantitative).
Develop and submit a draft report to TdH-NL for review and feedback – this will also include a first draft briefing meeting with the TdH-NL and ANPPCAN team. The reports should be comprehensive and provide detailed specific findings as per the specific objectives and where necessary, provide key recommendations for implementation.
Submit the final rapid assessment report to TdH-NL’s Kenya Country Office. The raw data, the database which has been cleaned (both qualitative and quantitative, including original field notes for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, as well as recorded audio material), and data collection tools used in the Rapid Assessment should be submitted together with the report. A simple inventory of materials handed over will be part of the record.
The consultant will be expected to compile and submit the draft report, make a presentation to TdH-NL, incorporate comments and submit a final report within the Rapid Assessment contract period.
TdH-NL has sole ownership of all final data and any findings shall only be shared or reproduced with the permission of TdH-NL.
Key Deliverables
Detailed work plan, detailed methodology for data collection and analysis, sample size calculations and data collection tools.
A draft report on the findings for feedback and comments. A comprehensive final report on the findings including accurately analysed statistical data with reasonable statistical power stipulating indicators for project outputs, incorporation of feedback, comments and recommendations.
All data sets, qualitative and quantitative.
Facilitation of a Rapid Assessment data dissemination workshop with duty bearers and stakeholders.
Please note that the contents of the report will be analysed and final payment will only be made upon approval of the final Rapid Assessment report by TdH-NL.
Time frame
The assignment is expected to be conducted over a period of 21 days.
Role of Terre des Hommes Netherlands
TdH-NL will provide all required background materials and programme documents to the consultant in a timely manner; and be the link between the consultant and the project sites.
TdH-NL will review tools and provide support in the Rapid Assessment process including identifying venues for discussion.
TdH-NL will manage the consultancy contract, monitoring adherence to specified deadlines, facilitating access to required information. In addition, TdH-NL will provide guidance throughout all phases of execution, approving all deliverables, and facilitating access to any documentation deemed relevant to the evaluation process.
The consultant will be responsible for guiding the entire Rapid Assessment process and all other specific responsibilities as stipulated in the TOR.
Expected Profile of the Consultant
The lead consultant is expected to hold the following qualifications in order to be eligible for this position:
Technical background in Child Rights programming, a strong background in Social Science and/or Project Planning and Management, with solid experience in conducting social research.
An advanced degree in a relevant field is compulsory.
A demonstrated high level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in high-pressure situations under tight deadlines.
Demonstrated experience and expertise in designing and managing Rapid Assessments for similar projects, delivering agreed outputs on time and within budget. (Kindly provide copies of reports of similar work done in the last 3 years).
Broad knowledge and understanding of child protection programmes, evaluation and social research.
Prior experience of working with national organisations, teams and committees on similar issues.
Experience of working with local communities and non-governmental organisations.
Knowledge of and interest in the national and international provisions on child protection as well relevant policies on child protection/ child exploitation.
Excellent writing, reporting and organisational skills with a keen eye to details.
Fluency in English and Kiswahili, both orally and written.
Child Safeguarding Measures
In line with the UNCRC, Terre des Hommes Netherlands strives to keep children safe in all its undertakings. The successful applicant will be required to read, understand, and commit to abide by TdH-NL’s Child Safeguarding Policies and Guidelines. The institution/firm or individual consultant will sign the policies to indicate an understanding of, and commitment to follow the policy requirements. The methodologies used in this study must abide by the universally acceptable standards for involving children in research.
Ethical Considerations
In accordance with the existing social and religious value systems, sex is a taboo subject in the Rapid Assessment region. This context necessitates the development of strict ethical guidelines for this Assessment. All participants are expected to be treated with dignity and respect, and participation in the study will be voluntary. Confidentiality and the right to privacy should be ensured. Consent will be obtained from all participants prior to their participation. Interviewing of children will only be done for children above 12 years, with the consent of their parents/caregivers and if they themselves are comfortable participating and providing information. Where a child has been a victim of exploitation and abuse and shows signs of distress, a clear referral for counselling and psychosocial support should be done.
There will be nothing in the study which may be harmful for the respondents in terms of legal or ethical grounds. No one will be forced to provide information for the study. The research objectives will be clearly explained to all the respondents of the study before collecting data from them. The consultant/ firm will abstain from data collection from any person who will deny or show any reluctance in providing information. Written consent with signature or thumb impression of the respondents, therefore, needs to be obtained before collecting data. The researchers will be highly committed to the respondents to guard the privacy of their information and sources of data, as well as will put heartiest endeavour to be unbiased in collecting data. The research report will not reveal the identity of the respondents.
