“A striking blow” – COVID-19 costs women $US800 billion in lost income
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation The COVID-19 crisis cost women around the world $US800 billion in lost income in 2020, Oxfam said on Thursday, as it demanded steps to tackle gender inequality. Women, overrepresented in low-paid, precarious sectors like retail, tourism and food services, lost more than 64 million jobs last year, said the charity, a […]
Increases in aid sex abuse complaints reflect tougher scrutiny, Britain says
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Increases in complaints about sexual abuse and harassment by aid workers are likely a sign that more victims feel able to come forward following closer scrutiny of the sector and increased safeguards, the British Government said on Tuesday. Aid agencies have come under pressure over the issue in recent years after […]
Indian spending on women’s safety “grossly inadequate”, says Oxfam
Mumbai/Chennai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Nearly a decade since the gang rape and murder of a student on a bus shocked India, state spending to combat violence against women and girls is “grossly inadequate”, Oxfam India said on Tuesday. Funds earmarked for setting up helplines, opening crisis centres and introducing gender-sensitisation training for officials remain unspent, […]
Davos 2021: Billionaires, big tech and vaccines top the WEF agenda
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation The World Economic Forum’s gathering of global political and business elites in Davos, Switzerland took place online this year because of COVID-19 and was covered less avidly than usual by the media. But, through its digital platform, the forum’s organisers laid out an agenda more ambitious than usual, invoking the need […]
Billionaires thriving as poor suffer in widening COVID-19 divide – Oxfam
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Billionaires including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Tesla founder Elon Musk have seen their wealth soar during the COVID-19 pandemic while the world’s poor face years of hardship, charity Oxfam said on Monday as it demanded steps to tackle inequality. Nations have a “shrinking window of opportunity” to build a fair, green […]
Aid sector blasted as “last safe haven” for sex abusers
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation The aid sector is rife with sexual abuse, British lawmakers said on Thursday, calling it “the last safe haven for perpetrators” despite a slew of scandals that prompted promises of a cleanup. Lawmakers rounded on the international aid sector, saying abusers were too often allowed to act with impunity while victims […]
India’s ‘invisible’ women hope for recognition at farmers protests
Mumbai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Legions of women have trekked to India’s capital to join massive protests against agricultural reforms, hoping not only to protect their livelihoods but also win visibility as farmers. About 75 per cent of rural women in India who work full-time are farmers, Oxfam says, with numbers rising as men migrate to […]
Third of world’s people get no state aid during pandemic – Oxfam
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation More than a third of the world’s population – some 2.7 billion people – has not received government aid during the coronavirus pandemic, Oxfam said on Tuesday, with gaping differences between rich and poor countries. An analysis of World Bank data conducted by the Nairobi-based charity found that while […]
Poor countries seen missing out as rich nations hoard COVID-19 vaccines
Thomson Reuters Foundation Nine out of 10 people in dozens of poor nations could miss out on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 next year because rich countries have hoarded far more doses than they need, campaigners said on Wednesday. Rich nations, home to 14 per cent of the global population, had bought 53 per cent of […]
Worsening land inequality widens gender, climate change gaps
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Land inequality is growing worldwide, threatening the livelihoods of 2.5 billion people who directly rely on farming and widening disparities in gender, health and climate-change impacts, researchers warned on Tuesday. The widening gap in ownership and access to land especially hurts small and marginal farmers, women, and Indigenous and rural communities, […]