Consultant for Survivors of Child Sexual Exploitation Perceptions on their Victimization and Impact on Access to Justice

Through the survivors’ conversations approach, ECPAT has talked to many children and young people with lived experiences of sexual exploitation and abuse, during childhood particularly online, in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Southeastern Europe. Various barriers to accessing justice, support services and legal remedies were reported and evidenced from these conversations.

At the individual level, many children and young people with lived experiences of sexual exploitation reported feeling ashamed, embarrassed or guilty for the crime that was committed against them and many did not perceive themselves as victims, due to a range of reasons including lack of awareness on this type of crimes and little sex education received.

At interpersonal and community levels, various barriers are also encountered in the immediate environment of the child, particularly with a perceived lack of support and understanding from parents and carers. At community level, barriers to disclosure and accessing justice, support services and legal remedies include social norms and social expectations amongst others.

With so many child victims not fully being aware that what has happened to them is a crime, and so many factors and barriers for children to disclose and access justice, support services and legal remedies it is important to identify the factors within the victimization experience at individual, interpersonal and community levels (e.g., offender manipulation, relational link with the offender, family attitudes, social expectations and social norms) that shape child victims’ perceptions of the offending behaviour and thereby influence barriers to disclosure, ability to seek support and access justice.

Objectives

This work aims at informing the development of future strategies and programming based on children’s lived experiences, to encourage prevention strategies are based on the understanding of children’s realities and perceptions of the sexual exploitation and abuse and the related manipulation by the offenders, as well as the barriers they face in accessing support and justice.

ECPAT International is seeking a consultant to conduct an analysis of existing evidence and literature, in particular produced by ECPAT International through its various research activities with child survivors of sexual exploitation, to respond to the following questions

• What are the factors influencing children’s perceptions regarding their victimization and their sexual exploitation and abuse?
• What are the techniques used by offenders to manipulate children into sexual exploitation which also impact on children’s perceptions on their victimization and prevent help-seeking?
• How do these factors influence access to justice, support services and legal remedies for children?
• Does (re-) victimisation persist throughout the justice process and provision of support services due to inefficiencies and limitations of these systems themselves? How do children perceive such victimisation in comparison to what had happened to them by the hand of the “original offenders”?
• How are considerations such as age, gender, type of abuse, types of exchanges, and technology, influencing perceptions of victimisation and re-victimisation in the context of the justice process and support service provision? How do these considerations impact help-seeking, disclosure and accessing justice?
• What concrete policy and programming recommendations can we make based on this evidence for policy makers, private sector and child rights organizations when they develop strategies and policies?

The consultant will be expected to

• Conduct literature review of existing publications from ECPAT International and others
• Organize key informant interviews with professionals working in the justice system or support service provision which can shed light on practical examples (10-12 interviews)
• Convene 1 virtual round table to discuss and validate findings

Expected deliverables

• A synthesized report of the literature review and exchanges with stakeholders (20 pages)
• Summaries highlighting key findings (on children’s perceptions, offenders’ strategies)
• One two-page policy brief with key strategic recommendations for policy and practice adaptation

Timeframe

This work should be concluded by May 31st 2023.

Commitment to Safeguarding

ECPAT is committed to ensuring children and adults engaged with our organizations are safeguarded from any form of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. The candidate is required to act at all times according to ECPAT’s values and principles and in compliance with our policies and procedures, including Child Safeguarding and our Code of Conduct.