Background:
In order to support the Government of Iraq (GoI) to strengthen its Juvenile Justice system, UNICEF has been conducting an assessment on the Juvenile Justice System in Iraq since 2009 and assessing if the system is in line with the Justice for Children approach. A first assessment was conducted in the Kurdistan region by UNICEF “to complete an in-country mapping and assessment of existing juvenile justice systems used by law enforcement, prosecution, courts and corrections institutions.” The assessment was mainly done through desk reviews and interviews with the civil society and government counterparts to understand the system including existing laws and regulations as well as existing institutions and services to develop the Rule of Law strategy. One workshop was conducted to validate the outcomes and recommendations were discussed in order to support the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA). The report was finalized in August 2010.
In order to support the Government of Iraq (GoI) to strengthen its Juvenile Justice system, UNICEF has been conducting an assessment on the Juvenile Justice System in Iraq since 2009 and assessing if the system is in line with the Justice for Children approach. A first assessment was conducted in the Kurdistan region by UNICEF “to complete an in-country mapping and assessment of existing juvenile justice systems used by law enforcement, prosecution, courts and corrections institutions.” The assessment was mainly done through desk reviews and interviews with the civil society and government counterparts to understand the system including existing laws and regulations as well as existing institutions and services to develop the Rule of Law strategy. One workshop was conducted to validate the outcomes and recommendations were discussed in order to support the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA). The report was finalized in August 2010.
As for other governorates of Iraq, an assessment on the Juvenile Justice System begun in 2010 led by an organization contracted by UNICEF. The purpose of the assessment was “to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current juvenile justice system, and to identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps.” Five questionnaires were developed for the following target groups; 1) police officers, 2) judges, 3) Personal Study officers attached to detention centres or courts, 4) staff in detention facilities, and 5) NGOs, tribal chiefs, formerly detained children and their families. A total of 154 individuals were interviewed in Baghdad, Basra, Nassriyah, Amarah, and Samawah, and the data were entered into a database for analysis. However, the draft report has not been finalized yet.
Purpose of Assignment: The purpose of this assignment is to produce a nation-wide report on the Juvenile Justice system (combining the outcomes of the assessment done in the region of Kurdistan and the data collected in the other governorates), and to provide recommendations to support the GoI to promote the UN common approach to Justice for Children.
Description of assignment: (provide detail and in quantitative terms) The consultant is expected to review the existing assessments and reports related to Justice for Children in Iraq, international and national legislations as well as guidelines related to Justice for Children. The related documents are listed below but not limited to (additional references will be provided to the consultant); • UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989 • UN Guidance Note of the Secretary-General: UN Approach to Justice for Children, 2008 • Situational assessment: Justice for Children in Kurdistan, Cyndi Banks, Ph.D, August 2010 • Draft report on the assessment on Juvenile Justice System in Iraq, DMI, 2012 • Juvenile Care Law of 1973 • Draft report on the National Conference on Justice for Children (2011) • Database inclusive of outcomes of the interviews using the five sets of questionnaires
The consultant will produce a report based on the outline below. 1. Title Page 2. Table of Contents 3. Acknowledgement 4. Executive summary 5. Rational and Background 6. Goal and objectives of the assessment 7. Methodology: Design, study questions and desk review, population sampling, data collection procedures, and data analysis plan: cleaning, reliability checks. 8. Results of the assessment (desk review and data collected) 9. Conclusions and discussions of results 10. Recommendations for legal reform, policy and programmatic interventions (for UNICEF as well as the GoI)
The consultant will consult with UNICEF regularly, provide bi-weekly updates on the progresses and discuss issues critical for the finalization of the report.
Qualification and/or specialized knowledge/experience required for the assignment: • Master’s Degree in Social Science, International Relations, International laws, Development Studies or similar fields of work, especially related to Child Protection. • 5 years of relevant working experience in a development assistance environment (child protection related an asset), or in middle income countries • Extensive experience in research design, analysis, and report writing • Fluency in English. Arabic fluency is desirable.
How to apply:
APPLICATION: Interested and qualified candidates should submit applications together with updated CV and P11 form, as well as the two most recent Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs) to iraqrecruite@unicef.org.
Only short-listed candidates will be notified.
Only short-listed candidates will be notified.
