Oxfam Novib has been fighting for equal rights since 23 March 1956. In 60 years, the organisation has grown into the most significant international organisation worldwide. It has come a long way, but there is still a long way to go, especially regarding equal rights for the lhbtqia+ community. Equal rights only come when everyone can be themselves, but this is often not the case in this community. During Pride, the organisation wants to give this community a boost and has set up several meaningful actions to achieve this. HPB and the organisation have looked at ways to generate as much attention as possible for meaningful initiatives.
Support activists with the 'Pridebot'
To give the national and international community more visibility, Oxfam Novib has developed a chatbot with which everyone can send their message of support to lhbtqia+ activists. These activists live in oppression in their own countries and are not allowed to speak out because of censorship. Anyone can send an expression of support through WhatsApp as an empowered message. Oxfam Novib will then ensure that these messages reach the activists.
Influencers during the Pride Walk
Besides developing this 'Pridebot', the organisation participated in the famous Pride Walk out of solidarity. Splinter Chabot, Tim den Besten, Hanna van Vliet, Gyor Moore, Tijn de Jongh and Lola Lotte walked with them during the Pride Walk and posted about it. AT5 interviewed Splinter, all actions that came out of the influencer track set up by HPB and the press release they sent out. This way, even more people can be reached to spread Oxfam Novib's important message.
The facts in a row
It is obvious that it is badly needed to draw attention to equality in this way. In 70 countries, homosexuality is in the criminal code and in many countries, lhbtqia+ activists are silenced, arrested and imprisoned. Katinka Moonen, Policy and Influencing Specialist Gender Justice Social Inclusion at Oxfam Novib, sees how the rights of lhbtqia+ people are being violated worldwide. She states: "Research shows that in many countries acceptance of lhbtqia+ does not exceed 20%. In other words, more than 80% of the population does not accept it. In addition, we know from testimonies from the lhbtqia+ communities in the countries where we work that violence and discrimination against lhbtqia+-people has increased due to the corona crisis."
Recent incidents confirm the violence and discrimination against lhbtqia+ communities. For example, the interior minister in Lebanon recently ordered security forces to prevent lhbtqia+ events, and 150 people were arrested at the banned Pride Parade in Istanbul. In Oslo, an attack was committed in a gay club.
Discrimination in the Netherlands too
Those who think this discrimination only takes place outside the country are wrong. Shocking events also regularly take place in the Netherlands. Recently, panels of the Pride Photo exhibition were daubed in both Vlissingen and Almere. Lesbian and gay employees in the Netherlands also experience more conflict in the workplace and less happiness at work. And lhbtqia+ people are regularly confronted with aggression on the streets. That is why we at HPB focus on making a daily contribution to projects that create awareness and hopefully bring about behavioural change with regard to equal rights and other social issues in the Netherlands and abroad.
