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 …
What does the UN Security Council Resolution on COVID-19 mean?
On July 1st, the UN Security Council (UNSC) unanimously backed U.N. chief Antonio Guterres’ March 23rd call for a global ceasefire amid the coronavirus pandemic. Resolution 2532 (2020) was finally adopted after more than three months of deadlock. Oxfam and our partners have campaigned for this resolution as a first step towards silencing the guns. The resolution drafted by France …
How can the UK government justify arms sales that fuel the war in Yemen?
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 …
Yemen: civilians are not a target
This World Humanitarian Day, following a recent airstrike on a school bus, Alexandros Yiannopoulos explains why Oxfam is calling for a ceasefire to protect civilians in Yemen. In Northern Yemen last week, as I was preparing to write this blog, 41 children on a school trip were killed by a Saudi Coalition airstrike. All loss of life is a tragedy, …
Building local humanitarian capacity in Yemen
Working with local partners in emergencies enables Oxfam to respond to the needs of more vulnerable people in a timely and sensitive way. Here Bassim Assuqair shares a success story from Yemen where in partnership with Oxfam youth organization GWQ has been able to build humanitarian capacity to respond to the crisis in their local area. Since the escalation of …
GWQ-Oxfam partnership: working hard to build when everything is collapsing in Yemen
As part of Oxfam GB’s 75th anniversary, we’re showcasing the work of our partners. Here, Generations Without Qat, share the challenges they face in the escalating crisis in Yemen. More than 2.5 million citizens in Taiz, Yemen have been affected by war. Their lives, income, and homes are under threat. In an already-poor country, they have been deprived from their basic …
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 …
Revisiting Yemen in the midst of conflict
The people of Yemen are experiencing one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises. The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf countries and the Government of Yemen against the Ansar-Allah movement (also known as the Houthis), escalated in March 2015. Two years on, Jonathon Puddifoot reflects on a recent visit to the country he knows so well. Its 30 years …
From the ground up: How Yemen’s women and girls survive
This blog introduces a study carried out by Oxfam, CARE and GenCap, to better understand how women, men, girls and boys survive in Yemen, a country torn apart by conflict. s Dubai and Saudi Arabia vie with each other to build the world’s tallest tower at an estimated cost of over $1 billion, Yemeni women and girls struggle to survive amidst …