Advancing Women and Girls PIR

1
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


Welcome Bienvenido
2
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


Advancing Women and Girls Property Rights in
the Context of HIV and AIDS  Ntengwe for
Community Developments Advocacy for Property
Rights Intervention in Binga District, Zimbabwe
3
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


background rationale
How is a PIR intervention a response to HIV
AIDS?
The Situation Very high HIV prevalence and AIDS
death rate gtgtgt unprecedented numbers of orphans
and child headed households  Low awareness and
implementation of PIR laws gtgtgt disinheritance of
vulnerable survivors
The Future Threat Children raised without
parental guidance or support to overcome trauma
and depression, with limited education gtgtgthigh
risk behaviors  A cycle of poverty from which the
only perceived escape may be high risk behaviors
4
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


background national level

• Zimbabwes HIV prevalence is currently 18.1
  percent, down from a peak of 32 percent in 1996
• There are 3 200 AIDS related deaths per week in
  Zimbabwe (UNAIDS 2007)
• Zimbabwe has the highest proportion of orphans in
  the world - 1.3 million (UNICEF data refers to
  1.3 m)
• As in most parts of the world, women and girls
  are the worst affected
• Binga is one of the poorest and worst affected
  districts in the country

5
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


background national level

• Administration of Estates Amendment Act
• Any person to whom customary law applied at the
  time of deathif there is no will
• Repealed provisions of the earlier Act, giving
  women in customary marriages the right to inherit
  property from their husbands
• Changed the meaning of heir from a male
  relative entitled to inherit and dispose of
  property to the surviving spouse(s) or children
• Although the laws exist, awareness and
  implementation have been low in Binga District

6
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


background the organization
A not-for-profit CBO that has become an integral
and respected part of the life and development of
Binga 
Ntengwe for Community Developments four main
programmes are

• HIV prevention, treatment and care
• Sustainable agriculture and livelihoods

3 OVC, child protection and disability
4 Rights

• The primary concern is women and girls legal
  rights 
• Inheritance
• Freedom from abuse and domestic violence

7
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


the intervention phase 1

• The first phase of Ntengwes intervention began
  in January 2006 and sought to
• Make legal information available to women and
  girls
• Provide access to legal advice through Community
  Help Centers and outreach
• Build the capacity of women and girls through
  rights based education
• Develop an advocacy tool from the process

8
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


the intervention phase 1

• The phase 1 activities included
• Situational analysis using qualitative interviews
• Sensitisation workshop for community members and
  leaders

• Community Level
• Legal rights workshops and discussions
• Counselling and
• advice
• PIR monitoring

• District workshops for community members
• Training of paralegals and watchdogs

• Will writing and legal documentation workshops
• Filming of all activities

9
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


impact phase 1
The activities outlined above were successfully
implemented. As a result

• Numerous community level workshops on property
  and inheritance rights have been held,
  facilitated by the trainees
• Six community help centers have been established
  and 385 cases handled

Over 600 widows and their families have regained
their inheritance
10
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


case study 1 phase 1
Twapegwa Muleya underwent PIR training gtgtgt Her
uncle refused to return her fathers eight cows
gtgtgt Twapegwa informed her mother of the law and
her right to the cows gtgtgt Her mother and the
first wife visited their brother-in-law gtgtgt He
returned 1 ritual cow, which the two wives sold
gtgtgt The wives demanded the remaining seven cows,
threatening to report to the local leader gtgtgt The
two wives sold the cows and shared the proceeds
11
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


case study 2 phase 1
In a recent case, an orphaned girl was brought
to Ntengwe by her fathers brother after her
step-siblings threw her out of the family house.
All of the property left by the girls parents
had already been taken by her relatives. Ntengwe
staff and trained community mobilizers mediated a
round table discussion involving all parties,
hoping to air the problems and get the girl back
home. The case was then taken to the Chiefs
court. The Chief ruled that the property belonged
to the girl and it was duly returned.
12
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


personal experience phase 1
In our area it is a great problem with property
grabbing but now I am telling people that I will
go to the police if I see someone grabbing
property and everyone is respecting me now and is
afraid to go against the law. I am not afraid of
anyone, even though they threaten me with
witchcraft. If I go to the chief he will then
sort them out. Margaret Gamela, 37 years
13
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


lessons phase 1

• Sensitisation and awareness raising are essential
  and CPOLs must be on board
• The ToT approach has ensured rapid spread of
  knowledge and action
• Watchdog groups and community help centers have
  proven an important intervention
• Community paralegal work is most effective when
  the program is community owned
• Voluntary community advocates gain respect when
  they have sound knowledge of the law and
• rights

14
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


the link
The docu-drama film WHEN THE COWS COME HOME
        
1 Records the phase 1 implementation a
monitoring and evaluation tool 2 A training and
advocacy tool for phase 2 that,

• Reflects the community, its attitudes and
  behavior back to itself
• Imparts legal information
• Presents case studies and good practice
• Inspires and energizes

15
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


phase 2 - priorities
The priorities defined for the ongoing PIR
intervention in Binga District are
1 Evaluate peer education approaches 2 Sustain
mass communication and mobilization 3 Address
social factors 4 Revise and strengthen the
community level legal rights service
approach 5 Increase expertise at all
levels 6 Maintain active involvement of all
stakeholders
16
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


phase 2 - actions

• Review the PIR programme in Binga District
  through a meta-analysis of the evidence
• Analyze findings and prepare recommendations
• Develop a toolkit for use with the docu-drama
  film
• Continue rights advocacy work utilizing the
  docu-drama film
• Sustain community legal service programmes,
  including monitoring and follow up training
• Facilitate increased community ownership by
  building the capacity of the community

17
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


phase 2 projected impact

• Further enhanced knowledge and awareness
• Increased confidence of women and girls,
  generally and with regard to their rights
• Less incidence of extreme poverty among women and
  OVC
• Decreased vulnerability of women and children
• Fewer cases of property grabbing as increased
  knowledge and awareness will have a preventive
  effect

18
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS

recap

• Ensuring the PIR of women and girls builds the
  resilience of the community in the face of HIV
  and AIDS by tackling acknowledged key drivers of
  the pandemic
• Social and systemic discrimination against women
  and girls
• Marginalization and powerlessness of females
• Poverty and the related hopelessness and risk
  taking
•  

19
Advancing Women and Girls PIR in the Context of
HIV AIDS


Thank You Gracias