Child Protection Assistant

Mission and objectivesUNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been present in Brazil since 1950, supporting the most important changes in childhood and adolescence in the country. UNICEF participated in major immunization and breastfeeding campaigns; the mobilization that resulted in the approval of Article 227 of the Federal Constitution and the drafting of the Child and Adolescent Statute; the movement for universal access to education; programmes to combat child labour; among other great advances in guaranteeing the rights of Brazilian girls and boys. In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. Therefore, in its cooperation programme with the Brazilian Government for the period 2024-2028, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most vulnerable and excluded girls and boys, with a special focus on children and adolescents who are victims of extreme forms of violence. These children and adolescents in situations of greater vulnerability are spread throughout Brazil, but they are more concentrated in the Amazon, in the Northeast and in large urban centers. Through the UNICEF Seal, UNICEF promotes commitments to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents in the Northeast and in the Amazon regions in Brazil. In large cities, UNICEF works with a focus on reducing intra-municipal inequalities, through the #AgendaCidadeUNICEF.

ContextSince 2018, UNICEF has been operating in Roraima within the context of the migration emergency through the establishment of an Office in Boa Vista and an Outpost in Pacaraima under Operation Welcome. UNICEF’s work focuses on ensuring access for migrant and refugee children and adolescents to essential and life-saving services, including health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, and child protection. The organization also strengthens the capacity of government institutions, civil society, and community organizations, while advocating for the rights and participation of children and women. Migrant and refugee children and families face significant challenges in regularizing their immigration status, which limits their access to social protection, healthcare, education, early childhood development, and child protection services. The absence of comprehensive public migration policies increases risks such as discrimination, violence, family separation, xenophobia, exploitation, and abuse. Through its Child Protection Programme, UNICEF has provided psychosocial support to thousands of children and enabled the identification and referral of hundreds of cases of violence, abuse, and neglect. Since 2019, UNICEF has maintained a dedicated response for unaccompanied and separated children in Boa Vista and Pacaraima, ensuring timely case management, access to documentation, family reunification, alternative care, and life-skills initiatives. Roraima is home to 11 Indigenous ethnic groups, with approximately 58,000 Indigenous people living in over 465 communities. In addition to Brazilian Indigenous populations, Indigenous migrants from Venezuela continue to arrive in the state. UNICEF prioritizes support to civil society organizations working with Indigenous peoples, recognizing the need for culturally specific and differentiated child protection approaches. Violence against children and adolescents in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory is a complex phenomenon shaped by historical, social, and territorial factors, occurring both within communities and in surrounding urban areas. UNICEF works jointly with municipal, state, and federal authorities and civil society to address this issue. UNICEF also promotes the humanitarian-development nexus by strengthening public policies for children and adolescents, notably through the UNICEF Seal, which recognizes progress in children’s rights across all 15 municipalities of Roraima. To ensure effective coordination and implementation of Child Protection activities related to migration, Indigenous response, and development programming, UNICEF will recruit a UN Volunteer Child Protection Assistant based in Boa Vista.

Task DescriptionUnder the overall programmatic guidance of the Boa Vista Education and Child Protection Officer and direct supervision of Chief of Field Office in Roraima, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Support activities related to the Super Panas and Protection of Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC) strategies in Boa Vista: • Ensure that all proceedings and decisions within the Unaccompanied and Separated Children Case Management Project and the Alternative Care Project are guided by the best interests of the child and conducted in close collaboration with authorities and other stakeholders. • Assist the daily monitoring of partners in the field, identifying constraints and solutions for the improvement of services. • Support the linkage between implementing partners, authorities and stakeholders, contributing to strengthen shared child protection case management. • Review and follow up on Implementing Partners’ reports. • Contribute to projects design and donors report. • Assist in capacity building and initiatives related to the Humanitarian-Development nexus. • Provide support to review work plans, strategies and activities with an Humanitarian-Development approach. • Support to the coordination activities of the Child Protection local Working Group. Support the programmatic implementation of the Child Protection development programme in Roraima: • Assist the Education and Child Protection Officer to liaise and engage with key stakeholders and partners in Roraima, especially in Boa Vista, on child protection issues and concerns. • Provide support to implement Seal activities, particularly related to the Systemic Result 3. • Extend technical support to Child Protection projects with focus on indigenous population.. • Support evidence generation and needs assessments related to Child Protection. • Assist in capacity building activities related to child protection programme. • Identify child protection needs and collaborate to design and implement thematic projects. • Advocate for child protection priorities in appropriated forums; • Collaborate to the programmatic planning, monitoring and evaluation in Roraima; • Other support, as needed, with planning workshops and other activities. • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. Results/expected outputs: • Improved migration response stablished child protection field partners, authorities and stakeholders and UNICEF in Boa Vista, with common initiatives implemented under the HD-nexus approach. • Quality material and knowledge products for internal and external audiences produced in a timely fashion, including for trainings. • Adequate support provided to Child Protection team. • Capacity development and technical assistance provided, when working with governmental or non-governmental counterparts, considering specially the Humanitarian-Development nexus, Seal Unicef and projects with indigenous people. • Child protection priorities reflected in appropriated forums. • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment. • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Competencies and valuesUNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS). The UNICEF competencies required and expected for this post are: Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness; Works Collaboratively with others; Builds and Maintains Partnerships; Innovates and Embraces Change; Thinks and Acts Strategically; Drive to achieve impactful results; Manages ambiguity and complexity.

Living conditions and remarksBoa Vista is the capital and the most populated municipality of the Brazilian state of Roraima. Concentrating approximately two thirds of the population of the state, it is located on the right It is a typically administrative city that concentrates all state services. Banking, transportation, telecommunications, and recreational facilities are available. Security The UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in Brazil advises to exercise a high degree of caution in Brazil due to the high levels of serious and violent crime, especially in major cities. Violent crimes such as assaults, armed robberies, kidnappings and sexual assault are very important. The most frequent security incidents in the region are robberies, various types of fraud and minor crimes. Slums (favelas) in large cities should be avoided and in case of attack, one is advised not to resist. Demonstrations can occur at any time and can turn violent with little or no warning. All United Nations personnel must scrupulously comply with UNDSS procedures and recommendations during their assignment, both on and off duty. For missions in rural areas or indigenous reserves, special procedures may apply; United Nations personnel should consult with the local DSS office in advance. Additional means of communication can be provided. Health Basic health services are available and most of the specialized services are offered locally. Travelers are advised to carry a supply of the necessary prescription medications. The yellow fever vaccine is mandatory, and evidence of yellow fever vaccine is required (at least ten days before the trip to the area). Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and yellow fever are transmitted by the same mosquito, Aedes Aegypti. Preventive measures are key. The mosquito feeds mainly at dusk and dawn, indoors, in shaded areas or when the weather is cloudy. Wear long-sleeved clothing, use insect repellents, place windows with screens, keep residences cool with air conditioning and use mosquito nets. Geography and climate Boa Vista is 90 meters above sea level. The climate of Boa Vista is considered tropical humid (type Aw according to Köppen), with the dry winter and the rainy summer; Autumn and spring are practically not perceived. The temperature varies from 22 ° C to 35 ° C. Development Boa Vista has an inefficient urban transport. Boa Vista has two modern bus terminals, real shopping centres with food stores, various businesses, air-conditioned environment and elevators. The city's population also uses taxis shared by several Passengers (not recommended for UN personnel). However, the streets of Boa Vista are wide and well-marked. Boa Vista connects with the rest of the country via air and by land. There is an airport (Atlas Brasil Cantanhede International Airport). Boa Vista also has an International Bus Terminal, the José Amador de Oliveira - Baton International Rodoviária, which connects the city with others from the interior of Roraima, the Amazon (Manaus), Guyana, Esequiba and Venezuela. Housing No furnished housing available. Power cuts are frequent but short. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging their own housing and other living essentials. Roraima is a unique State and has a unique humanitarian operation. It provides an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in harsh and potentially hazardous conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort, are essential. Information on entitlements at the duty station is available at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos