[Hiring] International consultant for the study on online risks and harms, digital safety and harms affecting children in Bhutan @AGORA

Role Description

The purpose of this assignment is to generate robust evidence on children’s engagement with the digital environment in Bhutan, focusing on online risks and digital safety, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The study will support UNICEF and national stakeholders to better understand the nature, prevalence, and impacts of online and AI-related risks affecting children, and to inform evidence-based policy, programming, and safeguarding responses that both protect and empower children in an increasingly digital society.

The overall objective of the study is to design and implement a child-friendly, ethically sound research study that assesses children’s online experiences, risks, and use of AI-enabled technologies. Specifically, the study will aim to:

• Assess children’s access to, use of, and engagement with digital technologies, including social media platforms, online services, and AI-powered tools.
• Examine children’s digital literacy and awareness, including understanding of:
  • Consent and privacy, including how these apply in the digital environment.
  • Data collection and sharing.
  • Profiling, personalized content, and algorithm-driven systems.
  • Risks associated with AI-enabled technologies, including grooming, exploitation, and technology-facilitated violence such as cyberbullying, online harassment, and abuse enabled by digital platforms.
• Identify and analyze the prevalence and nature of technology-facilitated violence (TFV) affecting children, including but not limited to:
  • Exposure to harmful or inappropriate content.
  • Cyberbullying and online harassment.
  • Privacy violations and misuse of personal data.
  • Risks linked to AI-generated or manipulated content.
• Establish a baseline on children’s digital engagement and online risk exposure across different age groups and contexts, disaggregated where feasible by age, gender, and location.
• Assess parents’, caregivers’, and teachers’ digital literacy, awareness, and supervision practices, including their understanding of online risks, AI technologies, and child protection in digital spaces.
• Identify gaps in existing policies, education systems, child protection mechanisms, and service responses related to online safety, digital technologies, and AI, including the role of relevant stakeholders such as educators, parents and caregivers, service providers, industry partners, and policymakers.
• Develop practical, actionable, and time-bound recommendations.

Qualifications

• Masters in Social Sciences, Statistics, Public Policy, Information Technology, or related field.

Requirements

• A minimum of five (5) years of proven experience conducting national-level research, large-scale surveys, or mixed-methods studies.
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in child online protection, including knowledge of online risks, digital safety, and child protection or related research areas.
• Proven experience in designing and implementing mixed-methods research, including quantitative surveys and qualitative methods such as focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews.
• Demonstrated capacity to conduct ethical research involving children, including informed consent procedures, safeguarding compliance, confidentiality protocols, and risk mitigation measures.
• Demonstrated capacity to mobilize, engage, and manage local consultants for data collection is required.
• Proven experience managing field data collection teams and delivering high-quality analytical reports within agreed timelines.
• Experience working with UN agencies, government institutions, or international organizations (considered an asset).
• Demonstrated team expertise in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, report writing, and stakeholder facilitation.
• Capacity to implement child-sensitive, culturally appropriate, and contextually relevant research approaches in Bhutan.

Benefits

• Diverse opportunities for professional and personal development.
• Attractive compensation and benefits package.

Company Description

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

The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.