In our second blog for the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, Oxfam Canada’s Megan Lowthers looks back on six years of the Creating Spaces project, which offers powerful examples of how communities can mobilise to tackle GBV and win new laws to protect women and girls After years in an abusive marriage, Sonali, 23, visited a support centre …
We are in it together: Feminist activists in MENA united
Many social media followers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) would recognize names such as Israa Ghrayeb from Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), or Al-Anoud Sheryan from Yemen or Tara Fares from Iraq. These are young women in their twenties who were disfigured or killed by a family member or an intimate partner. Their stories shocked people and devastated women rights activist across the region. …
The struggle of Yemeni women between war and harmful social norms
Armed conflict, poverty, hunger and economic crisis have been severely affecting the lives Yemeni people over the past six years. Around 80% of the Yemeni population require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, this means 24 million people, including 14.3 million in acute need. GBV is wide-spread in Yemen In the Yemeni context, gender-based violence (GBV) is a very …
On the Path to End Violence Against Women: Supporting civil society to combat GBV in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Violence against women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) does not only stem from deeply-rooted patriarchal norms, but also from the experience of the Israeli occupation. Existing literature shows a direct link between the increase in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and exposure to occupation-related violence. The more people are exposed to violence from the occupation or perpetuated by settlers, …
A Long Way to Go: Influencing Social Norms to Combat Gender-Based Violence in Iraq
There are many social, political, religious, tribal and economic reasons that contribute to defining gender roles throughout the ages, and yet there appears to be a common thread of gender inequality across different times and territories. Iraq is no exception to this: with a long history of colonial rule, foreign intervention, successive conflicts and a volatile socio-economic context, there are …
What I learned at CaLP’s Cash and Gender Event
Steph Roberson reflects back on CaLP’s recent cash week in London, and particularly on their gender and cash event. I recently attended CaLP’s Gender and Cash event in London. And it turns out there is quite a lot we don’t know about gender and cash transfer programming. CaLP have collected a range of technical papers on gender and cash, and …
Jealousy is NO excuse for violence
In the run up to 16 Days of Activism Muthoni Muriithi, the Africa Enough Campaigner at Oxfam International, explains their new campaign which tackles jealousy as a cause of domestic violence. Follow #JealousyIsNoExcuse on social media to keep up with the campaign. Who are you talking to? Where were you, why did you come home late? Why did he look at you? Why …
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 …