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Consultant – Child Justice Expert for designing a child-centred, trauma-informed and stigma-sensitive justice tool for justice actors
Complementing the CARSV Stigma Toolkit for Justice under the Stigma in Justice Project

Background
Synergy for Justice (Synergy) is implementing the project Stigma in Justice, funded by Global Affairs Canada. The project aims to improve justice outcomes for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) by addressing stigma, myths and misconceptions within justice systems, and by strengthening the capacity of justice actors to engage with survivors in a safe, survivor-centred and trauma-informed manner.

As part of this initiative, Synergy developed the CARSV Stigma Toolkit for Justice, a practical resource that helps judicial actors, justice institutions and survivor networks identify, assess and address the stigma that survivors of CRSV encounter throughout justice processes. The Toolkit reflects considerations relevant to a range of survivor groups, but the distinct ways in which stigma, myths and misconceptions affect children who have survived CRSV warrant closer attention and a dedicated tool of their own to complement it.
 
Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a practical tool that strengthens the capacity of justice and accountability actors — including judges, prosecutors, investigators, lawyers, commissions of inquiry, and truth commissions — to engage with and address the unique harms, challenges and needs of children affected by CRSV face in order to improve their justice experiences. The tool should equip these actors to recognise, address and challenge their own biases, fears and assumptions and engage with these children safely, ethically and effectively, in a trauma-informed and stigma-sensitive manner in order

Qualifications
● Advanced degree in law, child rights, psychology, social work, international development or a related field, or equivalent professional experience; 
● At least 10 years demonstrated expertise in child rights and child protection, particularly in conflict-affected settings; 
● Experience working with children affected by CRSV or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV); 
● Demonstrated expertise in the stigma, myths and misconceptions surrounding sexual violence, and how these manifest specifically in relation to children affected by CRSV; 
● Proven experience designing practical, accessible tools or guidance — such as bench cards, checklists or aide-mémoire — that distil complex material into clear, usable formats for justice and accountability actors; 
● Demonstrated command of ethical, do-no-harm engagement with survivors of CRSV, including children; 
● Excellent analytical and drafting skills in English, with the ability to write concisely for a practitioner audience and to produce design-ready content. 
● Familiarity with international standards concerning child victims and witnesses of crime; 
● Strong understanding of how justice and accountability mechanisms — including courts, investigations, truth commissions and commissions of inquiry — engage with children.