Inter-group violence in the Hela Province of PNG is long-term and protracted. The causes of these violence are complex and multifaceted, intergenerational trauma at an individual and collective level is fundamentally linked to conflict in the Hela Province. Conflict and oppression have significant but often overlooked mental health impacts on persons, which in turn may weaken the social fabric that governs relationships, the capacity for recovery and opportunities for reconciliation. In the aftermath of conflict, these causes of the conflict often remain and continue to foster mistrust and fear. Hence, trauma from past conflicts tends to self-perpetuate through the concept of grudges and ‘payback’, which can span generations. Trauma-processing is hindered by repeated exposure to traumatic experiences, combined with the erosion of social protection, limited resources, and learning opportunities, loss of community modeling and support, and effectively no access to professional assistance. The mental health impact of this violence challenges any meaningful peaceful cohabitation and social cohesion that may come as a result of conflict resolution efforts. Studies in other contexts, notably in Bougainville in 2013, found that a key contributing factor to violence, including against women, is persistent and unaddressed conflict- related trauma12. Further research has shown that individuals with unaddressed conflict-related trauma are less likely to engage in peacebuilding, mediation, and development initiatives. Thus, addressing conflict-related trauma is critical to interrupting patterns of violence and promoting sustainable peace.
MHPSS services in Hela Province are scarce. There are no specialized mental health care providers. Facility-based health care workers have been trained in basic counseling and provide these services in the context of one-to-one clinical care. However, access to facilities and
services is often severely limited due to conflict, poor infrastructure, and the overwhelming scale of need which exceeds the
capacity of staff. Community and church-networks provide a critical source of emotional and spiritual support for communities affected by violence. Some have received basic training in psychological first aid, however, most have not. Interviews with providers raise significant concerns about their practice of ‘counseling’, which often functions as harmful mediation between a survivor, perpetrator and their families which results in re-traumatization.
In 2022, UN Women and UNFPA secured funding under PBF to mitigate the MHPSS.
consequences of violence, in particular but not limited to GBV, as well as support individuals and communities to develop the skills to effectively manage and address trauma without resorting to violence to interrupt this cycle. MHPSS interventions envisioned to provide an avenue for group processing of trauma, inter-group trust building and the re-envisioning of collective identities to address said structural drivers of MHPSS concerns and intra-group violence. In this way, these intersecting approaches provide a critical contribution to local peacebuilding processes. MHPSS Intervention is to complement existing initiatives responding to violence in Hela Province with mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) that address the intergenerational trauma driving and perpetuating communal conflict.
MHPSS intervention aims to address the underlying causes of conflict responsible for the cycle of inter-group violence, and resultant conflict-related trauma, in Hela province by providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to women, men and young men and women and capacities for ongoing support to the efforts. These efforts require specialized MHPSS professionals to be engaged by the project to provide capacity building trainings (counselling), data collection research on MHPSS best local practices and integrate the findings to MHPSS curriculum development.
Duties and Responsibilities
Objectives of the engagement.
The task required under this engagement supports delivery of Outcome one and three of MHPSS initiatives. The Specific objectives are:
Generate knowledge and evidence on the gendered and age-specific impacts of
conflict and gender/age differences in response to conflict-related trauma (Output 1.1)
Contribute to the training of community stakeholders and health workers on MHPSS improve knowledge and skills based on the research outcome (Output 1.3)
Scope of Work/Duties and Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the MHPSS Technical Specialist, and in close collaboration with the Program Manager and Men and Boys Coordinator, the Consultant will be responsible for Design and implement research data collection tools and methodology based on gender and age focused MHPSS and peacebuilding.
Implement data collection using designed tools and methodology.
Analysis of data and report the research findings.
Validation of research findings presentation through workshop/seminar
Required Skills and Experience
Required qualifications, experience, and competencies.
Qualifications
Master’s degree in Psychology, Social Science, Public Health or related field
A thesis-based postgraduate qualification in Social Science or related fields is an asset.
Technical expertise
At least 10 years of experience working in the area of community development or humanitarian field with at least five years’ experience in conducting educational research.
Sound knowledge of qualitative and quantitative educational research methodology
Knowledge and extensive experience in data collection, data analysis and reporting.
Previous experience conducting conflict related and peacebuilding research.
Previous experience developing training materials, manuals, course guide and outlines.
Extensive experience working in tribal conflict areas especially in the Highlands.
Strong cultural competency, communication, and analytical skills.
Based in the Highlands of PNG will be an advantage.
Uphold UN core values and code of conducts.
Language and other skills
Fluency in oral and written English is required.
Ability to speak and write Tok Pisin is essential.
Ability to speak local language in Hela is an added advantage.
Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email.
