TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. Background

The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) is a pan-African non-governmental organisation established in 1998 and headquartered in Banjul, The Gambia. IHRDA works to strengthen the African human rights system by providing pro bono legal representation before regional and sub-regional human rights mechanisms, undertaking advocacy and policy engagement, conducting research, and building the capacity of State and non-State actors on the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa.

The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is the umbrella body representing journalists and media practitioners in The Gambia. GPU promotes press freedom, ethical journalism, media professionalism, and capacity development within the Gambian media sector, and plays a leading role in advancing professional standards and self-regulation.

 IHRDA, in collaboration with GPU, seek a consultant to develop a Media Guide on Legal and Ethical Reporting on Child Matters in The Gambia. The Guide will serve as a practical reference tool to support journalists, editors, media owners, journalism educators and other media practitioners in reporting on child-related issues in a manner that respects children’s rights, safeguards their dignity and privacy, and complies with applicable legal and ethical standards.

2. Objective of the Consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a practical, comprehensive and context-specific Media Guide on Legal and Ethical Reporting on Children’s Issues in The Gambia that promotes child rights-sensitive journalism and responsible media practice. This includes:

• Reviewing and synthesising relevant national legislation, policies, media regulatory frameworks, regional and international human rights instruments, and professional standards relating to children’s rights and ethical media reporting to inform the content of the Guide.
• Engaging with key stakeholders, including IHRDA, the Gambia Press Union (GPU), media practitioners and other relevant actors, to ensure that the Guide reflects the realities of media practice in The Gambia.
• Participating in the two project training workshops for journalists to gather practical insights, emerging issues, challenges and good practices from media practitioners, and incorporating these into the development of the Guide.
• Facilitating the validation of the draft Media Guide by presenting the draft to stakeholders, incorporating comments received during the validation process, and producing a final, high-quality and print-ready version of the Guide.

3. Scope of Work

Under the overall supervision of the Project Lead and in close collaboration with IHRDA and the Gambia Press Union (GPU), the consultant shall undertake the following tasks:

• Participate in an inception meeting with IHRDA and GPU to have a clear understanding of the project objectives, expected outputs, timeline and reporting arrangements.
• Prepare and submit an inception report outlining the consultant’s proposed methodology, workplan and approach to developing the Media Guide.
• Conduct a comprehensive review of relevant literature, including: national laws, policies and regulatory frameworks relating to children’s rights and media practice in The Gambia; regional and international human rights instruments and standards relating to children’s rights; media codes of ethics, editorial guidelines and relevant best practices; and existing guidance materials and resources on ethical and child-sensitive reporting.
• Consult with IHRDA, GPU and other relevant stakeholders to identify priority issues and practical considerations to be reflected in the Guide.
• Attend and participate in the two (2) project training workshops for media practical on legal and ethical reporting on children’s issues in The Gambia
• Develop a practical, user-friendly draft Media Guide that reflects the Gambian legal and policy context, regional and international standards, professional media ethics, practical newsroom guidance, good practices and illustrative examples against common ethical mistakes and dilemmas, legal uncertainties and practical barriers affecting child-sensitive reporting, and lessons emerging from stakeholder consultation and the project training workshops.
• Ensure that the Media Guide is developed in accordance with IHRDA’s Publications Guidelines including any applicable editorial, formatting and style requirements. The Guidelines shall be shared with the selected consultant upon commencement of the assignment.
• Support the organisation of the validation meeting by preparing a presentation of the draft Media Guide and presenting it during the validation meeting and facilitate discussions on its content.
• Revise the Guide to incorporate comments and recommendations arising from the validation process.
• Submit a final, edited and print-ready version of the Media Guide to IHRDA.

4. Deliverables

The consultancy is expected to commence on Wednesday, 5th August 2026 and will end on Tuesday, 29th September 2026.

5. Consultant Qualifications and Experience

The consultant should meet the following criteria;

• An advanced university degree in Law, Journalism, Mass Communication, Media Studies, Human Rights, Communications, Social Sciences or another relevant discipline.
• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in media development, journalism, communications, human rights, child rights, legal research or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in developing practical guidance materials, manuals, toolkits, training resources or similar publications.
• Proven knowledge of child rights, child protection, media ethics and responsible reporting.
• Strong understanding of the Gambian media landscape, legal framework and institutional context.
• Experience working with government institutions, media organisations, civil society organisations, development partners or international organisations will be an added advantage.
• Experience facilitating stakeholder consultations and incorporating multi-stakeholder feedback into technical publication
• Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills

6. Consultancy Fee

The consultancy is valued at GMD179,750 (One Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty).

Payment shall be made in accordance with the terms of the consultancy contract and shall be subject to the satisfactory completion and approval of the agreed deliverables by IHRDA.

7. Application Process

Interested candidates should submit the following:

• A technical proposal detailing understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology and workplan;
• A detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) highlighting relevant qualifications, professional experience and similar assignments undertaken.
• A sample of similar work demonstrating experience in developing guidance materials, manuals, toolkits, publications or comparable technical documents.

Deadline for Applications: Monday, 31st July 2026 at 23:59 GMT

Email for Submission: Applications should be submitted electronically to: vacancies@ihrda.org. and copy  msaine@ihrda.org

Subject Line: Consultancy – Development of Media Guide.

This assignment includes several in-person activities in The Gambia. Consequently, only applicants who are resident in The Gambia will be considered.

8. Reporting and Supervision

The consultant shall work under the overall supervision of a designated person from IHRDA. Regular coordination meetings will be scheduled to track progress and provide necessary support.

9. Ethical Considerations

The consultant must adhere to ethical research standards, ensuring child-sensitive approaches and compliance with data protection regulations. Stakeholder engagement should be conducted with full respect for human rights principles.

Only the successful candidate will be contacted following completion of the evaluation process.