Management Response

: Multi-Country Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka
: 2014 - 2014 , Multi-Country Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka (MCO)
: Final Evaluation of the "Anti Human Trafficking Programme"
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: Multi-Country Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka
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Background and Information: UN-Women’s Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) programme is being implemented in six panchayats across six States of India - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan and West Bengal from 2011-2014. The programme aims to reduce the vulnerability of internally trafficked women and children in source areas through community action and participation, research, and enhancement of governmental protection and prevention mechanisms that focus on trafficking in source areas. The programme is expected to enhance the role of local governance platforms in preventing trafficking, bringing about a change in societal attitudes towards women, and thus creating a strong social environment to prevent trafficking. EU support To ensure that results have been achieved as a consequence of activities undertaken during programme implementation, the progress of the programme is being tracked over a period of time through a Results Based Monitoring System. At the start of the programme, a Baseline Evaluation was conducted in 2012 to obtain baseline estimates for programme outputs at the panchayat, State and national levels. A Mid-Term Evaluation was then conducted in 2013, with the Endline Evaluation being completed in 2014. The overall objectives of the Evaluation were: 1. To evaluate results and impacts, including an assessment of sustainability 2. To assess the effectiveness and efficiency of resources use 3. To document, provide feedback on, and disseminate lessons learned 4. To assess programme response to, and the validity of, recommendations made by the mid-term Evaluation 5. To provide a basis for decision making on actions to be taken post-programme Scope of the Final Evaluation The programme was assessed against standard Evaluation criteria including: (i) Relevance – the extent to which the programme was suited to local and national development priorities and organizational policies (ii) Effectiveness – the extent to which programme objectives were achieved (iii) Efficiency – of programme implementation especially in terms of financial resources (iv) Results/impacts – positive and negative changes produced directly or indirectly by the programme (v) Sustainability – the likelihood of the programme results to continue to deliver benefits for an extended period of time after completion

: Draft
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 1: Increased Focus On Research - The Government’s efforts towards combatting the menace of human trafficking are stymied by the lack of data and information on those it should consider vulnerable. In this regard, there is a need to carry out a mapping of geographic areas where the most at risk/vulnerable reside together with an analysis of the factors that lead to their vulnerability (socio, cultural, economic, environmental etc.). There is also a need to establish the profile of those who tend to exploit the vulnerability of the individuals/groups/communities under consideration. A repository of such information would provide for a strong foundation that can guide future policies and programmes.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women has already undertaken vulnerability mapping in 2010, with the National Commission for Women in order to select the States for this programme. EVAW Unit 2015/05 Completed
UN Women will partner with the TATA Institute of Social Sciences and the National Human Rights Commission to support a National level study on trafficking, including identifying newer source destination and transit areas. EVAW Unit 2016/12 Overdue-Initiated Contract signed; study underway
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 2: Technical Assistance And Support For Current National Programmes/Policies - It is suggested that the plethora of policies/programme (directly and indirectly) working in the area of anti-human trafficking be subjected to rigorous external Evaluations or reviews that can examine them for their relevance, effectiveness and efficiency. These Evaluations would enable the Government to improve upon its current policy/programme portfolio in the space of human trafficking (especially trafficking of women and girls).
Management Response: Partially Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
As part of this programme UN Women in partnership with the National Commission for Women drafted a standard operating procedure on multi-sectoral response to prevent trafficking of women and girls. This was submitted to committee set up by the Supreme Court. UN Women will continue its advocacy and be disseminating the learning through knowledge sharing workshops that it plans to organise in 2015. Since funding is focused on the first recommendation, UN Women will not fund external Evaluations but will help with implementation of current Programmes via cooperation with the Ministry for Women and Child Development. EVAW Unit 2015/12 Overdue-Initiated Approved as part of 2015 AWP
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 3: Convergence Centred On Knowledge - During the Evaluation of UN Women’s AHT programme, one of the most noted impact was that the various stakeholders at the village, panchayat, block and district level have been interlinked so as to ensure that the community is able to reach out to the correct individual/entity for required/relevant help. This convergence was noted to be missing in the case of the control villages (panchayat). UN Women’s AHT programme should be treated as a pilot on the basis of which a district level convergence model should be developed. In turn, this model should be shared with the relevant State and National nodal agencies which have the ability to translate it into a National or State level programme.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women plans to undertake a consultative meeting with multiple stakeholders to share this model and the learnings of the Programme particularly with both National and State level stakeholders EVAW Unit 2015/12 Overdue-Initiated Approved as part of 2015 AWP and underway
UN Women plans to support the Department of Women and Children Development in Madhya Pradesh to build capacities of select Government functionaries in combating the trafficking of women and girls. It currently has a two year MoU with the State government of Madhya Pradesh on the Shaurya Dal Programme of the state government to work on ending violence against women. EVAW Unit 2016/12 Overdue-Initiated
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 4: Consolidating UN’s Expertise - The current pilot demonstrates how any effort towards combating trafficking at source requires technical inputs/expertise at various levels, and therefore the need for greater expertise in the area of livelihood and vocational training, local governance systems, labour laws/rights etc. Subsequently, it is suggested that efforts be invested towards constituting a joint mission that consolidates the efforts of agencies such as UN Women, UNDP, ILO, UNICEF etc. This mission should be led by UN Women and should seek to create a more holistic National programme for combatting trafficking of women and girls. The technical expertise of the various UN agencies would help in ensuring that this programme delivers a sizeable impact in this space.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Given the innovative nature of this Evaluation we will share our findings with colleagues within UN agencies and continue to advocate for a joint response for trafficking within the UN. UN Women had an MoU with the UNODC for part of this programme period – this will be renewed. EVAW Unit 2015/12 Overdue-Initiated Needs to be negotiated
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 5: The Need For A Legal Framework - UN Women has already been assisting the National Commission for Women in working on issues related to trafficking of women and girls. It is suggested that UN Women step up its advocacy efforts towards the need for developing a consolidated law on human trafficking and works towards ensuring that this law views trafficking under a gender lens.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will continue to provide technical assistance and are currently supporting the Ministry of Women and Child Development on women-specific legal frame-works through our technical advisor placed at the ministry. Technical Expert at MWCD EVAW Unit 2015/12 Overdue-Initiated
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 6: Addressing Vulnerability Of Units And Not Just Individuals - The programme in its current design, seeks to tackle factors leading to the vulnerability of the women/girls in the intervention Panchayats. However, it is clear that in three of the six Panchayats (Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha) the women/girls vulnerability is a subset of their family’s vulnerability to getting trafficked/exploited. Going forward, the programme may want to lay greater emphasis on reaching out to the families as a whole (including men from the family).
Management Response: Declined
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 7: Convergence The Local Labour Department and State Government Institutions – It might have been helpful if the programme would have included the district labour department as an active stakeholder. The labour departments in Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh have information on registered contractors through whom women/girls can migrate to cities/overseas in search of employment. Connecting the PRIs and vigilance committees to the labour department may have enabled them to guide aspiring migrants to these formally registered contractors. Other states could draw on Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh’s governments The programme should have required the implementing partners to reach out to and network with the State Panchayati Raj Department and State police headquarters. Implementing this will help improve the programme’s sustainability.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
ILO and UNODC are undertaking a research and capacity building initiative of the Labour Department. There must be convergence along these lines for future programming with different departments. Two of the UN Women implementing partners from this programme have been contracted by the UNODC and ILO to implement anti-trafficking initiatives. ILO and UNODC 2015/12 Overdue-Initiated UN Women will not be responsible as this would be carried out by UN Women's Implementing partners with UN Women support.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 8: Improved Coordination Between Implementing Partners - Going forward, UN Women may want to ensure an increased dialogue and mutual learning between the various implementing partners. The Andhra Pradesh model of engaging SHGs as the vigilance committees, the Bihar model of having the Panchayat maintain a register of those who are migrating from the village, the Odisha model of creating SHG membership through information dissemination/campaigning via peer educators etc. are some of the State specific experiences which the other implementing partners could have learnt from.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Consultations to occur with participants to share these models. EVAW Unit 2015/12 Overdue-Initiated Approved as part of 2015 AWP and underway
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 9: Need For Project Specific Logical Frameworks - The programme can be viewed as a set of six somewhat similar projects. While rolled out under the guidance of the programme logical framework, it might have been more relevant to design six project specific logical frameworks. These would be built around the central programme logical framework and would have allowed for addition and removal of activities/outputs on the basis of their relevance to the project site. The need for such project specific customized logical frameworks is made clear by the fact that almost all the implementing partners reported their own hierarchy to the importance they attached to the various programme components.
Management Response: Declined
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 10: Need For Technical Guidance, Inputs And Content - The programme required the implementing partners to hold training workshops and capacity building sessions with peer educators, vigilance committee members, police officials and PRIs. Each partner has held these training and sessions using their own model/method and further has utilized its own content and material for the same. Given UN Women’s expertise, it might have helped if it could have provided the implementing partner with support on arranging for reference material for these trainings and workshops.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women has already provided support to State Institute of Rural Developed (SIRD) in Orissa, this can be further developed. EVAW Unit 2015/05 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 11: Due Positioning And Weightage To The Baseline And The Mid-Line - The programme logical framework was finalized before the baseline. If designed/finalized alongside the baseline the logical framework could have been made more relevant to the context of the selected Panchayats.
Management Response: Accepted
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Not applicable
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Not applicable
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
This Programme was developed from previous external Evaluation conducted in 2009, and the baseline was done as a first activity in 2011. EVAW and M&E Unit 2015/12 Overdue-Initiated