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.
In the line of fire: a humanitarian security officer’s life
Humanitarian security officers face some of the toughest job environments. For World Humanitarian Day Rod Slip shares some stories from risky and dangerous situations. In the course of my humanitarian career, with Oxfam a lot of the time, I have had the dubious honour of being shot at, shelled, been under rocket barrage and air-raids and found myself in the …
Podcast: Protecting civilians in conflict
[buzzsprout episode=’2559253′ player=’true’] As a result of conflict, the world today is faced with huge challenges in protecting civilians. In Yemen, Syria and South Sudan, infrastructures have been destroyed and thousands of people are forced to flea, or face the risks of disease, famine or harm. NGOs and relief agencies play a large role in the protection of civilians, from …
Civilians are not a target
For World Humanitarian Day Rachel Hastie, Oxfam’s Global Protection Adviser, reflects on our common humanity and what it means. Some years back I was walking my children to school before catching a flight to Darfur. I was going to meet people – ordinary civilians – who had fled attacks on their villages and were still facing dangers and a very uncertain …
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 …