Policy Research Consultant Tender, Switzerland - 25552463

Procurement Summary

Country : Switzerland

Summary : Policy Research Consultant

Deadline : 16 Aug 2018

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 25552463

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : Department For International Development

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM)
17 Route des Morillons 1218 Grand-Saconnex Tel: +41.22.717 9111 / 22.798 6150
Switzerland
Email :aekenney@iom.int

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Policy Research Consultant.

1. Nature of the consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to identify key policy issues relating to child labour in the context of migration - regular or irregular, cross-border or within borders - and provide clear recommendations for policy-makers, thereby enabling States and other actors to prevent and eliminate child labour among those affected by migration, including children left behind.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of the Assistance to Vulnerable Migrants Unit, and the direct supervision of Alliance 8.7 Project Officer, the consultant selected for this position will provide an overview of existing literature on policies relating to child labour in the context of migration and through this, establish common approaches, opportunities for the prevention and halting of situations of child labour, and identify policy deficits and systems that allow child labour to persist or worsen in some circumstances. The aim is to identify key policy issues in addressing migrant vulnerability to child labour and make recommendations for priority, actionable interventions that will inform the strategic framework and work plan of the Alliance 8.7 Action Group on Migration. The policy issues should be identified by criteria including prevalence (relevance to multiple populations on a global scale); viability (issues which changes in policy could feasibly affect); connection to migration (though a weak linkage to migration should not necessarily exclude what is otherwise an evident policy issue for child labour); connection to child labour specifically (noting that general labour policies primarily affecting adults can still cause a decrease or increase in child labour among the same community or household). The recommendations could include: adopting legislation specifically targeting child labour; adopting national or sectoral action plans specifically targeting child labour; and further, integrating child labour concerns into broader development policies.

Background

The term ‘child labour-, separate from permissible work done by children, is defined generally by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development”.[1] It is defined as prohibited either because the child is too young to perform the work, or it is likely to jeopardize the child-s health, safety, or morals. More specifically, child labour can be conceptualized and defined as a hazardous industry, hazardous occupation, and further distinguished by criteria for age brackets[2], cumulative hours of work per week, and hazardous conditions such as night hours and/or extreme temperatures[3]. Though it is not the focus of this consultancy, it should be noted that in addition to hazardous work, that known as the worst forms of child labour[4] (WFCL) include slavery and similar practices, such as forced recruitment of children into armed conflict; the use of children in commercial sexual exploitation, as well as illicit activities. The paper should not focus specifically on the WFCL, but these can be touched upon when relevant.

The Global Estimates on Child Labour, released in 2017, were assembled through the integration of national surveys from 105 countries. The estimates indicate that over 150 million children are currently in child labour worldwide, and of these, 72, 525, 000 are in hazardous work[5]. While global prevalence of child labour has decreased by 94 million children between the years 2000 and 2016, the rates of decline over this time period have varied, and some regions and/or age sub-sets have in fact, witnessed a resurgence of child labour.[6]

There are key subtopics and sub-populations to consider when approaching policy development to prevent and eliminate child labour. Factors such as gender, age bracket, relationship to education, relationship to legal youth employment, availability of social protection, geographic or geo-political considerations as well as labour market peculiarities - especially surrounding informal sectors - all warrant scrutiny from a policy perspective.

Examining these factors in the context of migration and mobile populations may expose additional policy options that nurture greater social protection and mitigate the circumstances that allow child labour to persist. Migrant families and individuals will experience similar challenges of poverty, social injustice, and strain on household coping as do host communities. These challenges, however; are often further compounded by language barriers, lack of support networks, unfamiliarity with local laws and services that may be available to them, residual or on-going effects of distress depending on the nature of the situation from which they have attempted to migrate, and are often limited to working in informal sectors or situations more prone to exploitation and discrimination, such as exclusion from labour unions and job protection. Migrant children, whether unaccompanied or attached to a caregiver or family unit, may find themselves at particular risk of exploitation and child labour, specifically due to their mobile status, or being left behind by mobile parents. Migrant children affected by disaster and especially those impacted by armed conflict are reported to be at a significantly higher risk of child labour[7].

The Global Estimates acknowledge that child labour as a social phenomenon emerges from a combination of economic and social influences[8], and it is advisable not to approach child labour as an isolated issue but rather, work towards reflecting it in broader policies in the cadres of education, social protection, labour markets and standards[9].

2. IOM Project to which the Consultancy is contributing

As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encompass 17 thematic areas to address people, prosperity, and the planet[10]. SDG Goal 8 is to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”[11]. Contained within Goal 8, Target 8.7 obliges member states to “*take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms”[12].

Alliance 8.7 is an inclusive global partnership launched in 2016 to accelerate interventions and support governments to realise the commitments under Target 8.7 in coordination with numerous stakeholders, labour and employer organizations, civil society organizations, UN, and other international organizations[13]. Six sub-topics have been categorized under Alliance 8.7 which are to be addressed and guided by six respective Action Groups as follows: Conflict and Humanitarian Settings; Rule of Law and Governance; Migration; Commercial sexual exploitation; Rural development, social protection and education; and Supply Chains.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is leading the Alliance 8.7 Action Group on Migration. The Migration Action Group-s focus is on reducing migrant vulnerabilities to human trafficking, child labour, and associated forms of exploitation by making migration safer, irrespective of the reasons why people move or the channels they use to migrate.

With funding from the UK Department of International Development (DfID), IOM is committed to developing an evidence-based global work plan; producing policy papers, convening stakeholders, establishing a strategic framework, and providing technical support and guidance for eventual country-level implementation. As a foundation and to guide Alliance 8.7 programming, a more nuanced understanding is needed to determine what makes migration unsafe, how we can reduce migrant vulnerabilities, and priority areas where resources should be assigned. The total eradication of all forms of child labour has been identified as particularly urgent, and this project seeks to undertake a review of existing literature on this specific subject; identify associations between child labour and migration, and through a policy analysis, identify concrete policy changes to create practical circumstances that will support the elimination of child labour.

3. Tasks to be performed under this contract

· Undertake a review of literature on child labour in the context of migration, and provide an overview of a) existing knowledge, and b) further prospective associations between child labour and migration and/or mobile populations, which can include host/transit communities and those left behind.

· Building upon the initial literature review and policy recommendations in the Global Estimates on Child Labour as well as other relevant sources, identify 4-5 key policy issues specific to Child Labour in the context of migration, as per the criteria indicated above.

· Undertake a desk review of literature related to these identified key policy issues (imposing parameters such as dates or geographic scope to narrow the volume as needed). Establish criteria for evaluating the existing literature and methodology for analysis.

· Provide an analysis that establishes priority areas on which policy-makers shall focus. The analysis shall lead to concrete recommendations that can inform the work plan of the Migration Action Group, and could include recommendations on priority geographies, migration corridors, or economic sectors that should be targeted as priority. The analysis should be supported by a visual Impact Pathway.

· Compose a final report that includes the following components: description of context and rationale; literature review of child labour labour and migration gene

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