ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT
ECPAT International is a global network of organisations working together in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children in all its manifestations. The ECPAT Network currently consists of 134 members working at national and local levels in 110 countries. The ECPAT International Secretariat coordinates the global work of the organisation and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. The Secretariat designs and implements global and regional level programmes, and undertakes programming, advocacy and research and facilitates a range of network initiatives.
In 2022, ECPAT began exploring the positive potential of online gaming communities to support children and young people, in particular boys to seek advice and support in the face of sexual exploitation and abuse, and contribute to changing the narrative around rigid gender norms and ideas of masculinity. This led to a series of three confidential expert roundtables held in London (December 2022), New York (October 2023), and Seoul (February 2024) to discuss and share cross-cutting learnings on gender, safety, and health-seeking behaviours in online gaming environments. A multi-stakeholder workshop was organised in Brussels (June 2024) to present findings on its work, consultations, and recent series of key informant interviews with gaming companies, policy makers and civil society organisations.
THE PROJECT
ECPAT International, in collaboration with the Advisory Board for Gender-Sensitive Child Safety in Online Gaming, is leading the development of global guidance on gender-sensitive and child-safety tools in the context of online gaming environments for safe online gaming experiences for children and young gamers.
The overall objective of this work is to develop relevant and useful guidance for online gaming companies on how to take gender dimensions into account into game design and child safety interventions. The Advisory Board established by ECPAT International currently provides subject-matter expertise and overall strategic direction on what this guidance should contain and who it should target. This includes ensuring that the recommendations consider the diverse cultural, social, and psychological factors influencing gender identity and gaming experiences for children.
The purpose is to then disseminate this guidance among the wider gaming industry and online safety ecosystems as well as advice collaborations with industry bodies and regulatory authorities to ensure widespread adoption of the guidance.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY
The main objective of this consultancy is to develop initial guidance and tools for online gaming companies, platform policy and safety teams on how to take gender into account when designing games and trust and safety policies. This guidance will then be promoted, shared and disseminated by ECPAT International and by the Advisory Board in participatory sessions with online gaming companies. The design and conceptualisation of the guidance will be defined at the beginning of the consultancy in strict collaboration with the ECPAT International team – therefore initial methodology might be adjusted accordingly.
The guidance will have to be strategic for effective internal advocacy within online gaming companies to make information actionable and business-critical, also featuring accessible tools in terms of language.
The guidance will target specific spaces in which to be disseminated. The guidance can also be used with product teams and producers to understand what best practices look like in terms of design that challenge harmful gender stereotypes and norms, and promote help-seeking behaviours (especially for boys).
KEY TASKS AND DELIVERABLES
1. Review current guidance and products on gender differences in online gaming, with a focus on the experience of boys, girls and non-binary players, both children and youth, to incorporate gender sensitive approaches;
2. Conduct key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders (including members of the Advisory Board) to ensure that the guidance is relevant and in line with online gaming companies’ needs and priorities;
3. Draft, elaborate and finalise the guidance and possible related tools or resources for gender-sensitive child-safety online gaming environments (also taking into account different age groups).
METHODOLOGY
Attend regular calls with the ECPAT International Global Boys Initiative team and occasionally or adhoc with the Advisory Board or some of its members to first gather information for the development of the guidance and then clarify feedback received;
Adapt as needed the guidance and tools in order to incorporate feedback – if any – after the rounds of interviews with stakeholders from key online gaming companies.
CONSULTANT PROFILE
The consultant or (groups of consultants) need to have:
Proven experience in developing guidance and tools on trust and safety related questions for work with online gaming companies and the tech sector, more at large;
Proven experience in engaging and working with the tech sector, and knowledge of the current landscape, policies and regulations in this field (including relevant contacts within the sector);
Experience in children’s rights and gender-related issues, specifically in analysing children’s engagement online with a gender lens;
Expertise in gender-sensitive and child rights-based approaches;
Experience in developing practical guides or toolkits for different audiences.
TIMEFRAME AND WORKING DAYS
It is expected that this short-term consultancy will require a maximum of 20 working days to take place in the period of February to May 2025 (4 months), approximately 2 days per week. Exact timeline and working days can be adjusted and agreed upon with the selected consultant, or group of consultants.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This is a home-based position using their own equipment. The consultant(s) should be available for online calls including with different time zones in particular with Thailand, where ECPAT International Secretariat is based.
The Consultant is expected to act at all times in a manner consistent with the values of ECPAT International and in compliance with the organisation’s policies and procedures including Safeguarding Policies and the Code of Conduct.
Applications from an agency or group of consultants can be accepted.
OUR COMMITMENTS
As ECPAT’s International Secretariat we recognise that our strength lies in the diversity of the people who make up our global network, staff, volunteers and consultants. We are committed to being an inclusive workplace where people of all backgrounds and cultures can strive and be themselves. This means we will challenge ourselves to do better and to continue learning, to create and maintain a working environment steeped in respect, tolerance, safety, and where all parties are valued equally.
As a child-focused organisation, ECPAT has a strong commitment to child safeguarding and rigorous procedures, and the successful candidate will be required to sign our 2 codes of conduct
How to apply
Please send your CV, a technical and financial offer (including suggested methodology of work) in English with your daily rate/overall costs in USD to vacancy@ecpat.org mentioning: Your name and “Online Gaming – Guidance” in the subject header.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are not able to respond to every application. If you have not heard back from us within 3 weeks from the deadline, it means that your application has not been successful.
Dependent upon the volume of applications received, ECPAT reserves the right to close the advertisement sooner than the suggested closing date