BACKGROUND OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Violence Against Children (VAC) remains a significant challenge in Kenya, affecting children across all socio-economic, cultural, and geographic settings. According to the 2019 Violence Against Children Survey (VACS) conducted by the Government of Kenya in collaboration with various partners, nearly half of Kenyan children experience some form of violence before the age of 18. Specifically, about 46 percent of young women and 52 percent of young men aged 18–24 reported having experienced at least one type of violence: physical, sexual, or emotional during their childhood. Physical violence was the most common form, affecting approximately 38.8 percent of females and 51.9 percent of males. Sexual violence was reported by 15.6 percent of young women and 6.4 percent of young men, while emotional violence affected roughly 31 percent of both genders.

The impact of violence on children in Kenya is multifaceted, extending beyond the immediate physical harm to include long-term psychological, social, and economic consequences. Physically, abused children may suffer injuries, trauma, and an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, as well as unintended pregnancies and chronic health problems.

Its high prevalence and severe consequences demand a coordinated, evidence-based, and multi-sectoral response that addresses prevention, protection, and recovery at family, community, and national levels.

The Government of Kenya has made important strides in addressing VAC through the Children Act (2022), the National Prevention and Response Plan on Violence Against Children (2019–2023), the National Child Protection System Guidelines, and county-level child protection structures. However, translating these frameworks into effective action at community level remains a persistent challenge.

Community workers including child protection volunteers, community health promoters, social development assistants, community policing representatives, religious leaders, and teachers are often the first responders to VAC incidents. Yet, community-level capacity to prevent and respond to violence against children remains limited. Current training efforts are fragmented, with diverse organizations using different materials, leading to inconsistencies in knowledge, skills, practice, and referral mechanisms.

A standardized training curriculum and manual under the overall leadership of the State Department for Children Services (SDCS) will ensure that all community workers regardless of affiliation acquire consistent, evidence-based knowledge and skills aligned with national standards and good international practices. It will also promote a coordinated, multisectoral approach to VAC prevention and response, ensuring that children and families receive timely, child-sensitive, and survivor-centered support.

The training curriculum and manual intends to:

• Strengthen community workers’ understanding of child rights, protection laws, and procedures.
• Enhance their ability to identify, report, and manage VAC cases ethically and effectively.
• Reinforce linkages between community structures and formal child protection systems.
• Support implementation of the Children Act 2022 and the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children, contributing to Kenya’s commitments under the SDG Target 16.2 on ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against children.

Within the framework of the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery, Phase II (PLEAD II) in Kenya, SDCS will work jointly with UNODC and other relevant partners to develop a Training Curriculum and Manual on Violence Against Children (VAC) for community workers in Kenya, in line with national legal and policy framework and international instruments on the rights of the children. This training curriculum and manual is aimed at equipping community workers with the needed knowledge and skill to prevent, identify, respond to, and refer VAC cases.

SPECIFIC TASKS TO BE PERFORMED BY THE CONSULTANT:

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Representative in the UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa (ROEA) and the direct supervision of the UNODC ROEA Head of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, and in close cooperation and consultation with SDCS and other child justice actors, the consultant will perform the following substantive duties and responsibilities:

a) Development of an inception report

• Develop an inception report which shall detail his/her understanding of the assignment founded on the terms of reference. The inception report will also provide detailed methodology to be applied and timelines.
• Present the inception report to and discussion with the established Technical Working Group (TWG) under the leadership of SDCS, for comments and input.
• Incorporate comments and inputs arising from the inception meeting and share the final inception report.

b) Development of the Data Collection Tools

• Guided by the target audience and its literacy levels, develop appropriate data collection tools that would collect authentic data or information through appropriate data collection techniques as outlined in the assessment methodology.
• Present the data collection tools to the established TWG and other invited stakeholders as would be guided by the SDCS.
• Incorporate input emerging from the presentation meeting and present/submit the final tools to UNODC for approval in consultation with SDCS.

c) Training Needs Assessment (TNA)

• Undertake a thorough literature review of the existing information on VAC. The desk research shall also review the legislation, policies, programmes and international instruments with a focus on VAC.
• Review the institutional framework to map out key stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, and informal support networks and identify the role of key institutions and their coordination. This review will also identify the existing training materials and manuals on VAC.

• Develop an inception report which shall detail his/her understanding of the assignment founded on the terms of reference. The inception report will also provide detailed methodology to be applied and timelines.
• Present the inception report to and discussion with the established Technical Working Group (TWG) under the leadership of SDCS, for comments and input.
• Incorporate comments and inputs arising from the inception meeting and share the final inception report.
• Guided by the target audience and its literacy levels, develop appropriate data collection tools that would collect authentic data or information through appropriate data collection techniques as outlined in the assessment methodology.
• Present the data collection tools to the established TWG and other invited stakeholders as would be guided by the SDCS.
• Incorporate input emerging from the presentation meeting and present/submit the final tools to UNODC for approval in consultation with SDCS.
• Undertake a thorough literature review of the existing information on VAC. The desk research shall also review the legislation, policies, programmes and international instruments with a focus on VAC.
• Review the institutional framework to map out key stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, and informal support networks and identify the role of key institutions and their coordination. This review will also identify the existing training materials and manuals on VAC.