Going to the toilet is one of the most dangerous things you can do as a woman living in a refugee camp. That’s why we’re conducting research into the use of lighting to promote safety around latrines and wash facilities, for World Toilet Day Kerry Akers and Julie Lafrenière share the key findings so far. These shocking quotes are from people …
Vlog: Have you ever had a poo in the dark?
Oxfam’s Protection Project Manager, Kerry Akers, vlogs about research into the use of lighting around latrines in emergencies. Partnered with the Water Engineering and Development Centre at Loughborough University to undertake research, with the support of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund, the research aims to establish how best to decrease the perceived risk of GBV around WASH facilities.
Protection of women and girls: a bright idea
How can humanitarians help to protect women and girls from sexual violence in conflict situations? First we must ensure that our interventions don’t inadvertently place them in greater danger. For World Humanitarian Day, Kerry Akers explains why Oxfam is conducting research into the use of lighting around latrines in emergencies. Sometimes we harm the people we try to help. As …
The ladies’ room
Kerry Akers talks about the careful considerations and interdisciplinary collaboration needed to ensure that protection work is not based on harmful assumptions. umanitarian camps are dark at night. The curfew is sunset and the camp is heaving. Spilling out of their crowded tents onto the streets, people sit around dim cooking stoves talking and waving the mosquitoes away. The streets …
South Sudan: a battle of the sexes
Concepts of masculinity and femininity are deeply embedded in cultural beliefs and practices which underpin violence against women and inequality. Here Protection Project Manager, Kerry Akers, reflects on the nuances between gender and the roles of protector, victim and perpetrator in conflict affected areas of South Sudan. When the village is attacked the boys big enough to fight run with …