How the queer history of the Philippines inspires our struggle today

Cheng PagulayanGender, Influencing, Rights

In pre-colonial times, Indigenous communities respected the “babaylan”, or Filipino version of a shaman who sometimes crossed genders. Today, these healers are icons for LGBTQIA+ activists fighting to outlaw discrimination, says Cheng Pagulayan in our latest blog for Pride month

A race to the top: how we pushed supermarkets to take human rights seriously

Radhika SarinInfluencing, Living wage, Private sector

From new gender policies to commitments on living wages, we’ve come a long way since Oxfam published its first supermarkets scorecard in 2018, when retailers lacked the understanding and appetite to do human rights due diligence, says Radhika Sarin. What does the 2022 scorecard reveal – and what more must be done?

How can the UK government justify arms sales that fuel the war in Yemen?

Laura GyteConflict, Food security, Humanitarian, In the news, Protection

Laura Gyte describes why Oxfam intervened in a court case brought against the UK government over arms sales. UPDATE: on 20 June the Court of Appeal ruled that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are unlawful. In April, the Court of Appeal heard a claim brought by Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) on whether the UK government’s decision to …

Making international development campaigns work for girls

Rosie WaltersEducation, Gender & Development Journal, Participation and Leadership, Youth

Rosie Walters discovers how girls can take a much more creative approach to feminist activism than campaigns would give them credit for. In the past decade, countless campaigns have emerged with the aim of empowering girls in the Global South.  Many of them cite statistics about the returns of investing in girls’ education, including increased economic output, delayed maternity and …