Consultant responsible for the analysis and mapping of violence in and around schools in the provinces of Tanganyika Kasai North Kivu Ituri, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Consultant responsible for the analysis and mapping of violence in and around schools in the provinces of TanganyikaKasai, North Kivu and Ituri

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Location: Kinshasa, République Democratic Republic of Congo (based in the office)

Contract type: Consultant

Duration: 4 months

Date posted: 9 July 2026

Application deadline: 23 July 2026

UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights and help them realize their potential from early childhood through adolescence. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate and proud of what we do for as long as necessary. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job, it is a vocation.

According to the Gender Inequality Index (2021), gender-based discrimination is widespread in République Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ranked 151st in the world. In the field of education, this gender inequality is reflected in the proportion of girls who drop out of school due to security concerns, as well as cultural and social practices such as child marriage and early pregnancy, gender-based violence, etc.

According to data from the Demographic and Health Survey (EDS) of 2024, girls account for 53% of out-of-school children and adolescents aged 5 to 17. According to data from the EDS survey, the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu are the most represented in the population of out-of-school girls, representing 10.4% and 12.8% of out-of-school girls in the DRC respectively.

The results of the 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) reveal that 89% of children between 1 and 14 years old experience some form of discipline, but 6% of them are non-violent. The level of psychological aggression (80%) and physical punishment (80%), including 40% severe, shows the often violent way in which DRC children are educated.

Gender-based violence around and in schools is one of the main causes of girls’ school dropout, especially at the level of transition to secondary school. Violence in schools in general affects both girls and boys, but in a different way. Boys are more likely to get into a fight or be physically assaulted. Physical humiliation is more common among boys than girls. Girls, on the other hand, experience more bullying, humiliation and sexual and psychological harassment. Age is also a factor to consider. Older children are less likely to be harassed but sometimes provoked by the less young. Several surveys indicate that the physical appearance of certain children or a disability is the most common reason for mockery and harassment. Children from poor families are often more vulnerable to mockery, bullying and humiliation.

Violence is sometimes perpetrated by teachers and school staff through corporal punishment, cruel and humiliating forms of psychological punishment, sexual exploitation and abuse, verbal abuse and harassment. Violence also occurs between peers in and around schools, including harassment, gender-based sexual violence, physical and psychological violence, including online violence. Violence also occurs at home and in the community with an impact on schools.

The effects of violence on children's learning are multiple. Numerous studies demonstrate how exposure to violence has an adverse impact on children’s health, development and well-being (physical injuries, death, increased anxiety or depression, antisocial behaviors), pushing victims to become perpetrators of violence in the future. Children who experience violence in school often have poor attendance or drop out of school altogether. Children who are frequently victims of various forms of violence (e.g. bullying, humiliation, harassment, brawling, abuse, sexual touching, physical violence) are more likely to feel disenfranchised in their schools than those who are not, but they are also at risk of dropping out of school and it is observed that the more children are abused the worse their academic performance.

The DRC government is aware that violence in and around schools can undermine investments not only in education, but also in other areas such as health and social well-being and be detrimental to society as a whole. Section 57 of the Child Protection Act République Democratic Republic of Congo stipulates that the child has the right to protection from all forms of exploitation and violence.

UNICEF aligns with global and national priorities by ensuring that its programme is gender-responsive and working to remove barriers that prevent boys and girls from benefiting equally from national education efforts. UNICEF also recognizes that girls’ education benefits both individuals and nations. There is compelling evidence that women with higher levels of education are more likely to marry later, have fewer children, be better informed about health care and nutrition, and, if they decide to become mothers, have healthier children. They are more likely to make more money and engage in the formal labor market.

That is why since 2024, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship of the DRC, UNICEF has been implementing in four provinces (IturiKasai, North Kivu, Tanganyika) a project funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) through the French Development Agency (AFD), and whose main objective is to improve girls’ education by strengthening teaching-learning conditions at classroom and school level and addressing obstacles that prevent girls from going to and staying in school.

To achieve this goal, the project plans to develop a mapping of the types, forms and impacts of GBV in schools. UNICEF is looking for a national consultant to carry out this study, which will analyse the risks, types and forms of violence in and around schools and map the actors/services present in the 4 provinces implementing the project. The report resulting from this analysis should be used to update the priorities for action in schools targeted by the project in order to improve prevention and intervention mechanisms against GBV in and around schools. The report will serve as a guide for educational provinces and schools in developing their school improvement plan that integrates child protection, prevention and GBV response.

Candidate profile

Education: Master's degree in social sciences, statistics, demography, economics, law, psychology, etc.

Experience:

• Have professional experience (at least 5 years) and knowledge in the education sector in DRC;

• Have experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis;

• Experience in gender analysis in the DRC;

• Have professional experience in the field of monitoring and evaluation and program management;

• Experience in collecting data and managing datasets;

• Experience in writing reports and recommendations for an action plan at the operational level is desirable.

Languages: French, Kikongo and Swahili

Required skills:

• Knowledge of the DRC education system;

• Excellent interpersonal, facilitation and communication skills;

• Flexibility and adaptability to change;

• Professional mastery of French in writing and oral;

• Advanced skills for Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, SPSS and Power Point).

UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, trust, responsibility and sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and the way we do it.

This position has been assessed as a high-risk child protection position because it is either a position with direct

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