gender empowerment

Oxfam, along with partner organizations, will engage by hosting one official side event and 12 parallel events under the NGO CSW Forum. This year the CSW priority theme addresses challenges to women’s rights and equity related to education in the digital age and the review theme looks at the empowerment of rural women and girls. 

Women in developing countries can spend up to 14 hours per day doing essential care work because they lack of the kind of time-saving infrastructure many of us take for granted. Not all tasks can be reduced or eliminated, but some can, and doing so would free the hands of women and girls to work, to study and to contribute to their communities.

In the Central African Republic (CAR), a woman is a victim of sexual and gender-based violence almost every hour. For most women overcoming the trauma and moving on is a challenge. Oxfam is supporting them through literacy classes to help them read, write and empower them.

Earning an income is a struggle for the residents of Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, and women’s economic participation is extremely low. Oxfam initiated the Lel-Haya (For Life) project in Za’atari to build the capacities of Syrian refugee women, both in vocational training and soft skills.

In Mozambique, we are still building respect for women’s rights and working to end violence against them. Read Virginia's story and support our work there.