Rubina had to quit school when she was married off at the age of 12. Her grandfather had arranged her marriage before she was even born. Her mother, Lovely, was also married when she was a child, as were three generations of women before her.
Domestic violence and marital rape, child, early and forced marriage, and trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced labor are problems in many countries. They threaten the health and freedom of women and girls and are a violation of their rights.
Though things are improving, deeply entrenched values, attitudes, and practices slow progress towards violence-free communities.
The same attitudes also lead to less economic independence for women:
- Women earn 23% less than men worldwide.
- In 2018, 606 million women said unpaid care work prevented them from doing paid work. Only 41 million men said the same.
- One in 10 people survive on less than $1.90 a day. Most of them are women.
Rubina got help from Oxfam Canada’s Creating Spaces project. It creates community groups that:
- Protect women who experience violence
- Help them access support services
- Provide skills and leadership training
Thanks to Creating Spaces, Rubina has a voice within her home and community. She advocates to end child marriage and is determined to educate her daughter.
Oxfam Canada understands that ending global poverty begins with women’s rights. It advocates for women's rights and equality at every level of society.
Vision
“A just and sustainable world.”
Mission
“We fight inequality and patriarchy to end poverty and injustice.”
Impact
Through its many projects and initiatives, Oxfam Canada:
- Challenges traditional ideas of gender roles which contribute to economic inequality. It involves men from the start, and engages community, education, and religious leaders to get their buy-in.
- Amplifies women’s voices throughout society: in labor and feminist movements, business, political participation, and leadership.
- Pressures governments to make all work paid, equal and fair for women. It urges them to recognize and redistribute unpaid care work, in Canada and globally.
Oxfam Canada contributes to change on three fronts:
- Through its humanitarian relief work, it provides emergency aid when disaster strikes, or conflict breaks out.
- Through its long-term development work, it supports projects that help people assert their rights and build better lives for themselves and their communities.
- Through its advocacy and campaigning, it harnesses the power of people to change laws and practices that perpetuate inequality and keep people trapped in poverty.
Working on these three fronts in tandem is what makes Oxfam unique.
In every development project, humanitarian crisis and advocacy campaign, it aims to advance women’s rights.
It promotes women's leadership in their homes and communities and works to transform power relationships that entrench inequality and injustice.
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