Terms of Reference for Short-term Consultancy

BLIND YOUTH ASSOCIATION NEPAL

Terms of Reference for Short-term Consultancy on

Report on the Status of the Rights of Children with Disabilities in Nepal

1. Background

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is a national youth-led organization led by and working for persons with disabilities. BYAN is actively engaged in advancing the disability rights, inclusion, and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities, particularly children and youth with disabilities, across Nepal. Led by persons with disabilities themselves, BYAN works to promote disability rights, strengthen inclusive systems, and ensure that the voices of children and young people with disabilities are heard in decision-making spaces at all levels.

With the aim of all children’s rights being realized and respected, enabling all children to survive, learn, and be protected, BYAN has been implementing the “SANKALP-Together for Children's Rights” Project since 2026 in partnership with Save the Children International (SCI) Nepal, with financial support of SIDA. The programme aims to collaborate with civil society actors, including children, to strengthen their role in promoting accountability and ensuring the equitable fulfilment of children’s rights. It focuses on enabling civil society actors to engage with government systems, claim civic space, and influence decisions regarding policies, laws, budgets, and services for and with children. Working through national, provincial, and local levels, the programme supports civil society to monitor, report, advocate, and follow up on child rights commitments, and effective implementation of laws, policies, strategies, plans, and budgets for children, thereby contributing to an accountable governance system. BYAN, as the technical partner for disability inclusion and integration, has been playing an important role in providing technical support to CSO partners from a disability lens, as well as in monitoring and influencing child rights issues at the federal and provincial levels

Within this context, the SANKALP Project, BYAN is committed to prioritizing the generation of credible evidence that supports rights-based advocacy and influences policy and practice on behalf of children and youth with disabilities. The development of a comprehensive, credible, and action-oriented report on the rights of children with disabilities in Nepal.  This report aims to highlight existing gaps, amplify the voices of children with disabilities, and provide practical recommendations for stakeholders across sectors. 

This study will be guided by non-negotiable principles, including the best interests of the child, a “do no harm” approach, and strict safeguarding standards throughout the process. The study will uphold the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us,” ensuring meaningful participation of children with disabilities and their representative organizations. It will also be aligned with core UNCRPD principles, including non-discrimination, accessibility, participation, accountability, and respect for diversity and intersectionality.

2. Rationale

Children with disabilities in Nepal continue to grow up facing layered and deeply rooted inequalities that limit their ability to fully enjoy their basic rights to education, health, nutrition, protection, and participation. Despite strong constitutional and legal commitments, discrimination, poverty, and social exclusion remain part of their daily realities. For many children with disability, this means being more likely to drop out of school, less able to access quality healthcare, and more vulnerable to violence, exploitation from child labour.

These challenges are becoming more complex. Rapid urbanization and migration are pushing many families' children with disability into insecure living conditions, where children face new risks while losing traditional protection systems. Within this already marginalized group, some children are even more invisible: Dalit girls, children with disabilities, LGBTIQA+ children, and those living in extreme or multidimensional poverty, whose experiences are rarely captured or addressed in policies and programmes.

Nepal has important data sources such as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), and the National Census. However, these data remain fragmented and are not sufficiently analyzed or consolidated to present a clear national picture of the status of children with disabilities. As a result, critical gaps and inequalities remain hidden, and policies often fail to respond effectively to the specific and intersecting challenges faced by children with disabilities. 

Children with disabilities in Nepal represent one of the most marginalized and underserved populations; they are facing compounded multiple intersecting barriers that hinder their access to essential services, such as education, healthcare, and social protection, as well as their access to justice and participation in decision-making that affects their lives. Despite Nepal's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1990 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2010, children with disabilities continue to face systemic exclusion and discrimination persist across sectors.

While Nepal's national legal policy framework, including the Constitution of Nepal 2015, the Disability Rights Act 2017, the Child Rights Act 2018, and commitment under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), along with relevant provincial and local policies, provides a strong normative foundation for the protection and promotion of child rights. However, the translation of these commitments into implementation practice remains inconsistent. Key challenges include the limited availability of disaggregated data about the situation of children with disabilities, weak accountability and monitoring mechanisms, and insufficient coordination among OPDs and child rights actors, and government institutions. 

There is a significant gap in comprehensive, Nepal-specific, evidence-based documentation of the child rights situation as it pertains specifically to children with disabilities. Existing literature and reports tend to address disability or child rights in isolation, rarely examining the intersections of both dimensions. As a result, the unique experiences, barriers, and rights violations faced by children with disabilities remain insufficiently understood and inadequately addressed. This gap has several critical implications:

• Limited visibility of the specific vulnerabilities, discrimination, and rights violations experienced by children with disabilities
• Inadequate evidence to inform disability-responsive child rights policies, programs, and budget allocations. 
• Insufficient availability of data disaggregated by disability classification, gender, age, geography, and socioeconomic status
• Weak accountability mechanisms for duty-bearers in upholding the rights and respect to children with disabilities
• Limited participation of children with disabilities, their families, and OPDs in monitoring and advocacy and decision-making processes. 

This consultancy seeks to address these gaps, and the report will bring together existing data, fill critical evidence gaps, and provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation of children with disabilities across sectors. It will support more informed policymaking, strengthen accountability, and guide targeted interventions. Most importantly, it will help ensure that children with disability are no longer overlooked, but are recognized, heard, and prioritize so that no child is left behind in Nepal’s development journey.

3. Required Qualifications and Experience

The consulting firm or team must possess:

• An advanced degree (Master's or higher) in Child Rights, Disability Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Development Studies, Law, or a related field
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in research, evaluation, or policy analysis related to child rights, disability inclusion, or social protection in Nepal
• Strong understanding of the UNCRPD, UNCRC, Nepal's Disability Rights Act, and Child Rights Act frameworks
• Experience working with OPDs, children with disabilities, and marginalized groups
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive and accessible research practices, including the use of accessible data collection tools and reasonable accommodations
• Expertise in GEDSI analysis and its application in child rights and disability contexts
• Excellent analytical, writing, and report production skills in English; Nepali language proficiency is an added advantage
• Team composition can preferably include at least one researcher with a disability and must demonstrate the capacity to conduct accessible and inclusive field research.

4. Reporting and Coordination

The consultant/team will report to the Program Manager, SANKALP Project, at BYAN, and will work closely with the BYAN program team and relevant stakeholders throughout the assignment.

Reporting Requirements

• All formal deliverables must be submitted to BYAN in both soft copy (MS Word and PDF) and printed form
• The report must include annexes covering: ToR, cited references and bibliography, list of participants consulted, data collection tools, and any other relevant supporting material
• All data collected during the assignment must be submitted to BYAN in agreed formats and will remain the property of BYAN

5. Application Procedure

Interested consultants/firms are requested to submit the following documents:

• Technical proposal, including understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, workplan and timeline, and team composition with roles
• Financial proposal with a detailed budget breakdown
• Cover letter
• Updated CVs of all key team members
• At least two samples of similar research, evaluation, or report-writing assignments (preferably on child rights or disability inclusion)
• Company/organization registration and tax clearance certificate (if applicable)
• PAN/VAT registration documents (for firms)

Applications must be submitted electronically to:

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) Email: procurement@byanepal.org Subject Line: "Application for Child Rights Report Consultancy - SANKALP Project"

BYAN will select the consultant based on technical merit and the amount proposed for the task. BYAN reserves the right to accept or reject any application without providing reasons. BYAN treats safeguarding as a top priority; all data and information collected during the assignment must be kept confidential and must not be disseminated without BYAN's prior written consent.

Note: This ToR is subject to revision or modification based on discussion and mutual agreement with the selected consultant or consulting firm. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further process, including an interview or presentation if required

CLICK HERE for detailed TOR.