Consultant to conduct research on the misuse of technology to facilitate child marriage

United Nations Population Fund, Asia and the Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok is looking for a qualified consultant to conduct research on the misuse of technology to facilitate child marraige. Details of consultantcy is as below:

Purpose of consultancy:

The purpose of the International Consultant is to conduct research on the misuse of technology to facilitate child marriage to inform evidence-based programming.

Background:

UNFPA’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 identified strengthening capacity to address discriminatory gender and social norms as one of the six ‘interconnected outputs’ to support the three transformative results:
1. Accelerated reduction in unmet needs for family planning
2. Accelerated reduction in preventable maternal deaths
3. Accelerated reduction in gender-based violence and harmful practices
Outcome 3 of the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025 responds to Sustainable Development Goal 5, target 5.2 (eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation) and target 5.3 (eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation).

UNFPA addresses child marriage through policy advocacy, research, and programming. UNFPA APRO partners with UNICEF ROSA to co-lead the joint Global Programme to End Child Marriage (GPECM), which in the Asia Pacific region encompasses India, Bangladesh and Nepal along with “Rising Stars” Pakistan and Afghanistan. In addition, with support from the Government of Australia, UNICEF EAPRO and UNFPA APRO implement the Joint Programme to End Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Southeast Asia through the Towards Universal Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in the Indo-Pacific (TUSIP) initiative in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Lao PDR.

While the gender digital divide for girls in many parts of the Asia Pacific remains significant, investment in policies and programming to improve girls’ digital access and literacy is helping to narrow the gap. However, increased use of and access to technology and online platforms and media for education, work and social interaction potentially exposes girls to increased risk of technology-facilitated GBV (TFGBV) including solicitation for early marriage. Concurrently, the global backlash on gender equality is evident online as groups emerge to promote child marriage as a traditional social norm or a strategy to control girls’ bodily autonomy and access to opportunities. More understanding is needed on how girls are being targeted and groomed through the use of technology (individually and as a group) for forced child marriage.

The UNFPA Asia and Pacific Regional Office aims to support Country Offices and partners under the scope of these joint programmes by providing evidence generation and resources to better understand the mechanisms, actors, drivers and risk factors associated with the misuse of technology to target and groom girls for child marriage. To accomplish this, the research will explore the issue at both the interpersonal level (targeting individuals) as well as the societal level (organized online promotion of social norms that promote or facilitate forced child marriage). The research will further document practices or programming that seek to counteract or prevent girls’ vulnerability to online grooming for marriage.

In line with this vision, UNFPA APRO seeks an Individual Consultant to:
● Conduct a desk review to identify (1) relevant materials, reports and studies on the misuse of technology to facilitate communication and grooming targeting children for marriage or relationships, including social media, dating apps, matrimonial sites, digital marketplaces, and apps/games with private messaging, among others; (2) available information on regulations, platform/service provider policies, and guidelines that support the prevention of the use of internet/social media/ other tech platforms/tools for facilitating child marriage. Overlap between child marriage and child trafficking is acknowledged; misuse of technology to conduct trafficking based on promises of marriage or exploitation of online relationships should be included.
● Based on the desk review, present recommendations to refine the scope of the research questions to be explored. Develop a study methodology and data collection tools to identify (1) the means and actors through which misuse of technology to facilitate child marriage is carried out; (2) how factors such as access to technology, digital access and literacy, and socioeconomic status affect girls’ vulnerability to technology-facilitated child marriage; (3) whether organized online efforts to create a consensus to promote child marriage are discernable in the contexts studied; and (4) current regional/national/local interventions and practices that address the misuse of technology to perpetuate child marriage
● Work with UNFPA Regional Office and UN Country Office Focal Points to identify partners and stakeholders; target key informants and focus group participants (from government, UN, CSOs, youth organizations, organisations for persons with disabilities, academia, technology companies, media regulatory authorities etc).
● With CO/stakeholder support, access commonly used platforms/apps relevant in context for targeting girls for marriage and gather background information on any coordinated online activity to promote or facilitate child marriage.
● Conduct FGD and KII interviews (remote and onsite). Travel to five countries (to be selected) within the region for data collection and consultations, inquiry into existing use of technology for prevention and response to child marriage, and development of case studies for each illustrating the issues in context. Produce a report documenting and analyzing the findings of the study, identifying common patterns, risks and drivers as well as contextual variations in technology-facilitated child marriage. Provide recommendations for coordinated response, potential programming entry points, mitigation measures, policy options and prevention strategies relevant to technology facilitated child marriage
● Facilitate an online webinar session for UNFPA and UNICEF Country Office teams and partners to share findings and learning from the regional research

Scope of work:

UNFPA’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 identified strengthening capacity to address discriminatory gender and social norms as one of the six ‘interconnected outputs’ to support the three transformative results:
1. Accelerated reduction in unmet needs for family planning
2. Accelerated reduction in preventable maternal deaths
3. Accelerated reduction in gender-based violence and harmful practices
Outcome 3 of the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025 responds to Sustainable Development Goal 5, target 5.2 (eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation) and target 5.3 (eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation).

UNFPA addresses child marriage through policy advocacy, research, and programming. UNFPA APRO partners with UNICEF ROSA to co-lead the joint Global Programme to End Child Marriage (GPECM), which in the Asia Pacific region encompasses India, Bangladesh and Nepal along with “Rising Stars” Pakistan and Afghanistan. In addition, with support from the Government of Australia, UNICEF EAPRO and UNFPA APRO implement the Joint Programme to End Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Southeast Asia through the Towards Universal Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in the Indo-Pacific (TUSIP) initiative in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Lao PDR.

While the gender digital divide for girls in many parts of the Asia Pacific remains significant, investment in policies and programming to improve girls’ digital access and literacy is helping to narrow the gap. However, increased use of and access to technology and online platforms and media for education, work and social interaction potentially exposes girls to increased risk of technology-facilitated GBV (TFGBV) including solicitation for early marriage. Concurrently, the global backlash on gender equality is evident online as groups emerge to promote child marriage as a traditional social norm or a strategy to control girls’ bodily autonomy and access to opportunities. More understanding is needed on how girls are being targeted and groomed through the use of technology (individually and as a group) for forced child marriage.

The UNFPA Asia and Pacific Regional Office aims to support Country Offices and partners under the scope of these joint programmes by providing evidence generation and resources to better understand the mechanisms, actors, drivers and risk factors associated with the misuse of technology to target and groom girls for child marriage. To accomplish this, the research will explore the issue at both the interpersonal level (targeting individuals) as well as the societal level (organized online promotion of social norms that promote or facilitate forced child marriage). The research will further document practices or programming that seek to counteract or prevent girls’ vulnerability to online grooming for marriage.

In line with this vision, UNFPA APRO seeks an Individual Consultant to:
● Conduct a desk review to identify (1) relevant materials, reports and studies on the misuse of technology to facilitate communication and grooming targeting children for marriage or relationships, including social media, dating apps, matrimonial sites, digital marketplaces, and apps/games with private messaging, among others; (2) available information on regulations, platform/service provider policies, and guidelines that support the prevention of the use of internet/social media/ other tech platforms/tools for facilitating child marriage. Overlap between child marriage and child trafficking is acknowledged; misuse of technology to conduct trafficking based on promises of marriage or exploitation of online relationships should be included.
● Based on the desk review, present recommendations to refine the scope of the research questions to be explored. Develop a study methodology and data collection tools to identify (1) the means and actors through which misuse of technology to facilitate child marriage is carried out; (2) how factors such as access to technology, digital access and literacy, and socioeconomic status affect girls’ vulnerability to technology-facilitated child marriage; (3) whether organized online efforts to create a consensus to promote child marriage are discernable in the contexts studied; and (4) current regional/national/local interventions and practices that address the misuse of technology to perpetuate child marriage
● Work with UNFPA Regional Office and UN Country Office Focal Points to identify partners and stakeholders; target key informants and focus group participants (from government, UN, CSOs, youth organizations, organisations for persons with disabilities, academia, technology companies, media regulatory authorities etc).
● With CO/stakeholder support, access commonly used platforms/apps relevant in context for targeting girls for marriage and gather background information on any coordinated online activity to promote or facilitate child marriage.
● Conduct FGD and KII interviews (remote and onsite). Travel to five countries (to be selected) within the region for data collection and consultations, inquiry into existing use of technology for prevention and response to child marriage, and development of case studies for each illustrating the issues in context. Produce a report documenting and analyzing the findings of the study, identifying common patterns, risks and drivers as well as contextual variations in technology-facilitated child marriage. Provide recommendations for coordinated response, potential programming entry points, mitigation measures, policy options and prevention strategies relevant to technology facilitated child marriage
● Facilitate an online webinar session for UNFPA and UNICEF Country Office teams and partners to share findings and learning from the regional research

Duration and working schedule:

The total duration of the consultancy will be 80 working days between the starting date of the contract and 31 October 2025. The selected consultant will develop a workplan in consultation with the UNFPA APRO GBV team**.**

Place where services are to be delivered:

This consultancy is home-based with travel to UNFPA Country Offices, as needed.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:

Expected deliverables include:
1. Inception report including
(a) summary of literature review including process, findings relevant to this research, and gaps in data/evidence;
(b) study methodology that addresses research methods, participant recruitment, data collection and analysis plans along with measures for consideration of intersectionality and cultural sensitivity;
(c) timeline with anticipated steps to completion of activities and identification of any APRO/CO support expected
2. Data collection tools (including interview and focus group tools, indicating contextual variations where relevant) with annotated/attached guidance on administering tools and conduct data collection from some countries.
3. Draft and final report on findings on trends and practices as well as recommendations for policy and programming. The final report should include (a) final report for all of Asia region, (b) sub-regional reports for South Asia and Southeast Asia , (c) country case studies
4. Presentation to disseminate report findings in a regional webinar and facilitation of exchange among COs on current/future interventions on advocacy, research, policy, and programming

The consulting fee will be paid on deliverables basis.

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements:

A work plan/delivery monitoring schedule will be determined by APRO and the Consultant at the outset of the consultancy. A tracking sheet will be used to note progress against the TOR deliverables and deadlines
Supervisory arrangements:

The consultant will report to the UNFPA APRO GBV Technical Specialist.

Expected travel:

Travels to UNFPA Country Offices or other venues are expected, with exact dates and duration to be determined. Travel expenses will be covered by UNFPA as per UN Official Travel Ruels and Regulations.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

Education
● Master’s degree with specialisation in relevant area such as social sciences, gender/GBV, or social work.
Professional Experience and Required Skills
● At least seven years of specialised experience in research related to GBV and/or harmful practices
● Demonstrated knowledge (through research, programming, or a combination of the two) of the gender norms and socioeconomic factors driving child marriage
● Demonstrated data science, digital analysis and/or online threat analysis experience and knowledge relevant to use of technology facilitated violence against targeted population(s)
● Excellent research and interviewing skills
● Strong writing and documentation skills
● Working experience in the Asia Pacific Region and previous experience with UNFPA is an asset
● Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments
● Proficiency in English required