Consultancy – Final evaluation to strengthen child protection systems in the context of travel and tourism

Estimated 20 business days – October 1 – December 20, 2024

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

ECPAT International is a global network of organisations working together to eliminate child sexual exploitation (SEC) in all its forms, namely the exploitation of children in prostitution, online sexual exploitation of children, the sale and trafficking of children for sexual purposes, sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism and certain forms of child, early and forced marriage. The ECPAT network currently consists of 126 members working at national and local levels in 105 countries.

The ECPAT International Secretariat coordinates the Organization’s global work and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. The Secretariat designs and implements programmes at the global and regional levels, and undertakes programming, advocacy and research, and facilitates a range of networking initiatives.

CONTEXT OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The Strengthening Child Protection System in the Travel and Tourism Context project is being implemented by ECPAT International with partners in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines from July 2023 to December 2024 (18 months).

In Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, the project’s main change pathway focuses on translating the commitments and progress made by regional agencies, governments and companies to improve child protection measures in relation to regulation of volunteer tourism into actionable and replicable models. The project builds on the progress made by ECPAT International in supporting and documenting approaches to implement all that has been done and produced to address risks in volunteer tourism, to ensure that this learning is shared as a consolidated case across the ECPAT network. Pilot experiences from Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines serve as models for replication by other countries on a larger scale. Experiences from Germany and the Netherlands, as sending countries, are used to guide responses to safeguard children. The project forms an exit strategy to transfer resources and commitment across the network and beyond.

The project also aims to generate sectoral momentum by To equip tourism professionals to become part of the child protection system by integrating child protection core competencies into training programs of tourism associations and schools in Asia and other regions.

OBJECTIVES OF EVALUATION

The objectives of the evaluation are to assess the relevance, impact and sustainability of the project in achieving the objectives of 1) improving the regulation of volunteer tourism in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines and 2) equipping tourism professionals to be part of the child protection system.

In particular, the evaluation should assess the strategies used to achieve the project objectives and provide lessons and recommendations for future expansion and scaling up, regarding:

Policy change

• Progress has been made in implementing new or improved policy changes at global, regional, national and local levels.
• Changes in support for regulation of child volunteer tourism by policy makers, institutions, industry and the public.
• Key lessons on which approaches and methods were most effective in bringing about policy changes or changes in support, if there was any progress in this direction. This could include increasing the focus on the need to regulate volunteer tourism in public and private institutions, changing public awareness, attitudes and opinions, shifting the discourse to define key terms and communicating the importance of the topic.

Capacity of civil society

• The capacity of civil society to determine what types of stakeholders to involve, what their roles are, and to develop effective engagement and coordination mechanisms.
• Capacity of civil society to use effective advocacy methods to achieve project goals, such as developing effective strategies and messages.
• The effectiveness and lessons learned from the lobbying approaches and tactics used in engaging the private and public sectors.

Stakeholders and partnership

• Which stakeholders were involved (or should have been involved) in achieving the project goals, what role did they play in bringing about change, how were they coordinated and collaborated, and how can ECPAT International reach and mobilize the most relevant and influential stakeholders in the future?
• Partnership approaches used by civil society organisations (ECPAT International and its members) to facilitate effective engagement across regions and sectors.
• Coordination, cooperation and knowledge exchange between civil society organisations that are involved in advocacy at national and international level.
• Broader enhancement of civil society participation in relevant policy dialogues and relations with public and private stakeholders on this topic.

Advocacy and movement building

• The adequacy of strategies deployed to coordinate civil society organizations’ efforts to share knowledge and resources, coordinate advocacy, action and messaging, and the role they play in supporting country-level initiatives and collective action and coalition building across countries.

The role of ECPAT International

• The role of the ECPAT International Secretariat in enabling and promoting progress towards project objectives.

The design, methodology, findings and recommendations of this evaluation will be used to:

• Understand what the expected and unexpected achievements and challenges have been.
• Understand which approaches were effective in achieving progress and what the facilitators and barriers were in each context.
• Ensure the replication and scaling up of capabilities to regulate volunteer tourism and provide child protection competences to tourism professionals elsewhere.
• Inform the organizational strategy on creating, implementing, and evaluating advocacy and movement building efforts to increase the adoption of effective child protection legislation globally.
• Inform the organizational strategy on the implementation and evaluation of public and private engagement and awareness-raising to prevent child sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism sector.

EXPECTED DELIVERIES

• Start-up report: overview of the evaluation design, methodology and work plan.
• Evaluation tools.
• Final Report: Comprehensive evaluation report with findings, conclusions, recommendations and a roadmap for future initiatives.
• Final presentation: Summary of key findings and recommendations.

PROPOSED METHODOLOGY

We expect the evaluator(s) to use a range of tools and methods related to development and process evaluations that are suitable for evaluating advocacy, policy and education initiatives. The evaluator(s) may propose the use of a range of methods, such as stakeholder analysis, process evaluation, contribution analysis, outcome harvesting.

MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS

The Evaluator(s) will report to the Head of the Child Protection Unit in the Travel and Tourism Sector, but will work closely with the Global Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Lead and other colleagues in the ECPAT Secretariat, including the Research, Advocacy, Campaigns and Communications team.

TIMELINE

This consultancy will take place between October 1 and December 20, 2024, with an estimated duration of approximately 20 working days.

CONSULTANT PROFILE

The advisor or groups of advisors must have the following:

• Expertise in advocacy, policy analysis and child protection.
• Experience with development and process evaluations.
• Experience in child protection within the context of travel and tourism, particularly with regard to legislation in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, is desirable.
• Fluency and experience in writing reports and policy analyses in English are essential.
• Knowledge of Sinhala, Tamil, Filipino and Khmer is an advantage.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This is a work from home position using their own equipment. The consultant(s) must be available for online interviews, including with different time zones, especially with Thailand where the ECPAT International Secretariat is located.
• The Advisor is expected to act at all times in a manner consistent with the values ​​of ECPAT International and in accordance with the organisation’s policies and procedures, including the Safeguarding Policy and the Code of Conduct.

OUR PROMISES

As the International Secretariat of ECPAT, we recognize that our strength lies in the diversity of the people who make up our global network, staff, volunteers and consultants. We strive to be an inclusive workplace where people from all backgrounds and cultures can make an effort and be themselves. This means challenging ourselves to do better and to keep learning, to create and maintain a working environment that is imbued with respect, tolerance, safety and where all parties are valued equally.