RFP - Research Agency Formative Research Study- Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence (TFGBV)

Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that connects girls to the resources and support she needs to overcome barriers, see themselves differently and unleash their full potential. We believe that the most powerful force to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty is GIRLS. When you connect GIRLS to what they need, unleash the limits communities set for them, and change how girls see themselves- they change the world. That’s the Girl Effect.

Our approach redefines what girls think they can and should do. We do this by building digital and media technologies that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots and applications to chat shows and TV dramas, our approach uses modern technologies to reach girls where they are today.  

Our reach is 23 million and counting. 

We are girl centered. We engage girls through evidence based social and behavior change.  We meet girls where they are today, in the spaces, on the platforms and channels they trust and love. We work with governments to transform systems to work for HER. 

We reach girls worldwide, where they are—online and offline—to support them at critical moments in life when they need to make choices about their health, education, and economic future. 

We use our expertise in behavior change science to motivate and equip girls with information and support to help them see a different future for themselves, act on those choices, and drive greater demand for the opportunities and services available to them. 

Chhaa Jaa in India, Tujibebe in Tanzania, Yegna in Ethiopia - are some of our youth brands. They exist across multiple channels - digital ( Meta, Google and other SM platforms), TV, radio, print and offline. Where required and relevant, we also use white label brands for specific campaigns. 

Girl Effect in India

In 2019, Girl Effect launched Chhaa Jaa, a digital-first youth programme that helps girls in India build the confidence to make choices and changes in their lives - from accessing information about her body and services around her, to negotiating about education choices or whether to use contraception. Chhaa Jaa was designed keeping in mind adolescent girls between 17-19 years, currently in higher education, and accessible online via mobile – whether girls own or borrow a mobile phone. 

Over the last four years, we have invested in setting up key online assets and infrastructure that can be leveraged to deliver programmes under a range of thematics for older adolescent girls. We have built a multi-product digital ecosystem of products - across ‘broadcast’ and ‘interactive’ features - that are social media-based and available to girls whenever they need it. 

This includes:

• Inspiring and enabling social and behavior change content on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube through Chaajaa
• A chatbot on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp that allows girls to explore taboo topics in a safe 1:1 space and nudges them to connect her with health services called Bol Behen
• And a website aggregating youth-friendly services and is updated regularly with blog content.
• A girls-only Facebook group to experience social support and a sense of community Called BAK BAK Gang 

Background

In India, increased internet and social media use has led to a rise in Technology-facilitated GBV (TFGBV). Cyber crimes against women increased by 11% in 2022, with significant rises in incidents involving transmission and publication of sexually explicit material.  Limited digital literacy and increased online activity puts adolescents at greater risk of online GBV. According to a recent study, 15% of adolescents had faced at least one incident related to online sexual abuse or exploitation. 

TFGBV reinforces traditional gender roles; it is an extension of offline inequity, where the same inequalities that expose girls to offline violence also affect them online. This underscores the importance of not only responding to TFGBV and its consequences but also preventing it at a primary level. Prevention can be achieved by educating girls about online GBV, its various forms, impacts, and how to report it. Equally important is educating boys about TFGBV and their role in preventing its perpetration. This approach provides an opportunity to address gender inequalities early, teaching both girls and boys about violence, harmful gender norms, and their roles in promoting gender equity, both online and offline.

To tackle the growing concern around TFGBV, Girl Effect seeks to develop a transformative intervention that will work with girls, boys and communities to address and alter the underlying gender norms and power dynamics that contribute to TFGBV. The program includes digital and offline components as well as a range of strategies with the ultimate aim of creating a more equitable, safe, and supportive online environment for girls in India.

Objectives

Through this program, Girl Effect aims to empower women and girls to learn, lead, and thrive in the digital world free from harassment and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Key objectives include: 

1. Enable Safe Digital Access for Girls: Equip adolescent girls and young women with digital literacy skills and knowledge of their rights.
2. Increase Awareness of TFGBV: Build awareness and knowledge among girls, boys, parents, educators and community members on TFGBV and ensure their active participation in mitigating risks.
3. Facilitate linkages to support services:  Facilitate and enable service access through collaborations and partnerships with community-based organisations, government, police, legal and support services that have already established support systems and resources for survivors of online harassment and abuse.

Who You Are

Skills Experience and Expertise:

• Extensive experience in designing and conducting qualitative research, ideally with a gender and sexual and reproductive health focus
• Experience delivering research with innovative approaches and/or comparative studies.  
• Capacity to deliver all areas expected of this research, from design through recruiting and training researchers to leading the data collection process in target field locations, ensuring quality assurance that aligns with research ethics principles, and delivering high-quality reporting.
• Experience conducting sensitive research with hard-to-reach, most vulnerable populations
• Experience in interviewing minors and adolescents and safeguarding policies and procedures
• Excellent and demonstrated understanding of Child Protection/ Safeguarding and ethical issues in research
• Excellent fieldwork supervision and data quality control strategies
• Ability to conduct a risk assessment and mitigation plans for research
• A fieldwork team of female and male qualitative interviewers for interviews with young women and men 
• Proven record of effectively managing relationships with research partners
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstration of effectively managing relationships with research partners
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstration of effectively managing relationships with research partners
• Exceptional communication and organisation skills
• Ability to respond to comments and questions in a timely, appropriate manner
• Experience in delivering outputs on time and budget
• Ability to write clearly and concisely in English
• The reputation of the responding agencies and any previous experience in similar surveys/research will also be considered.

Questions/Clarifications

If you have any questions about this RFP, please email suppliers@girleffect.org by 10th February 2025.  All questions will be answered and shared through an FAQ.

How to Apply

Please submit proposals, as described above, to Girl Effect’s procurement team (suppliers@girleffect.org) by the 17th of February  2025. Please mark your email with the subject line, ‘‘Formative Research Study: TFGBV -India.’

For detailed RFP, click here: RFP - Formative Research Study: TFGBV -India.

Tags Women Empowerment Social Change Others