Enhancing women’s land rights through legal empowerment

Lessons learned from community-based activities

Why women’s land rights?

1 Women’s human rights are violated

2 Women’s key role in food security and natural resource management is not recognised

“If women had the same access to productive resources as men, they would increase yields on their farms by 20-30 percent. This could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5-4 percent, which could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12-17 percent” (FAO, 2011: 5)

Challenges and priorities in advancing women’s land rights

1 Understanding rights: the importance of information

2 Claiming rights: the importance of monitoring and mobilisation

3 Guaranteeing rights: the importance of enabling environments and implementation

VGGT Principles of Implementation

Why legal empowerment?

Equity and justice (3B.3)

Recognizing that equality between individuals may require […] taking positive action, including empowerment, in order to promote equitable tenure rights and access to land, fisheries and forests, for all, women and men […]

Gender equality(3B.4)

Ensure the equal right of women and men to the enjoyment of all human rights, while […] taking specific measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality when necessary.

The use of law to specifically strengthen the disadvantaged (IDLO, 2010)

Community-based activities promoting the legal empowerment of rural women Objective and features

•Document innovative ways of promoting women’s land rights and facilitate knowledge sharing and mutual learning;

•Piloting activities/short timeframe/small budget

•Community-based activities

Partners

CINEP Oxfam GB SARRA SWADHINA UEFA

Colombia Pakistan India India DR Congo

CINEP, Colombia, Women’s empowerment to exercise their land rights in the Cauca Valley

CINEP, Colombia, Women’s empowerment to exercise their land rights in the Cauca Valley

OXFAM GB, Pakistan, Promoting women’s property rights and ownership in Pakistan

CINEP, Colombia, Women’s empowerment to exercise their land rights in the Cauca Valley

SARRA, India, Women’s empowerment in tribal communities

CINEP, Colombia, Women’s empowerment to exercise their land rights in the Cauca Valley

SWADHINA, India, Creating awareness to bring land rights to grassroots women

CINEP, Colombia, Women’s empowerment to exercise their land rights in the Cauca Valley

UEFA, DR Congo, Sensitise authorities and communities on the land rights of pygmy women

Lessons learned

1 Never underestimate women’s enthusiasm to learn

2 Prioritise capacity-building targeted to women

3 Recognise the importance of accessible information

4 Pay attention to perceptions of gender equality

5 Address different levels appropriately

6 Be aware of the role CSOs can play

7 Follow through to move from empowerment toward emancipation

8 Encourage horizontal learning and collective action

9 Bear in mind the complexity of land tenure security

Opportunities

Women’s human rights are violated

Understanding rights

CEDAWClaiming rights

Guaranteeing rights

Problem Objective Tool

Women’s key role in food security and natural resource management is

not recognised

Understanding the guidelines

VGGTClaiming the guidelines

Implementing the guidelines

Thank you!l.miggiano@landcoalition.org

If you want to know more on the ILC’s Women’s Land Rights Initiative, please visit www.landcoalition.org