Enhancing women

1
Enhancing womens land rights through legal
empowerment

• Lessons learned from community-based activities

2
Why womens land rights?
1 Womens human rights are violated
2 Womens 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)
3
Challenges and priorities in advancing womens
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
4
Why legal empowerment?

• VGGT Principles of Implementation

The use of law to specifically strengthen the
disadvantaged (IDLO, 2010)
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.
5
Community-based activities promoting the legal
empowerment of rural women

• Objective and features
• Document innovative ways of promoting womens
  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
6
CINEP, Colombia, Womens empowerment to exercise
their land rights in the Cauca Valley
7
CINEP, Colombia, Womens empowerment to exercise
their land rights in the Cauca Valley
OXFAM GB, Pakistan, Promoting womens property
rights and ownership in Pakistan

8
CINEP, Colombia, Womens empowerment to exercise
their land rights in the Cauca Valley
SARRA, India, Womens empowerment in tribal
communities

9
CINEP, Colombia, Womens empowerment to exercise
their land rights in the Cauca Valley
SWADHINA, India, Creating awareness to bring
land rights to grassroots women

10
CINEP, Colombia, Womens empowerment to exercise
their land rights in the Cauca Valley
UEFA, DR Congo, Sensitise authorities and
communities on the land rights of pygmy women

11
Lessons learned
1 Never underestimate womens 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

12
Opportunities

Problem Objective Tool
Womens human rights are violated Understanding rights CEDAW
Womens human rights are violated Claiming rights CEDAW
Womens human rights are violated Guaranteeing rights CEDAW
Womens key role in food security and natural resource management is not recognised Understanding the guidelines VGGT
Womens key role in food security and natural resource management is not recognised Claiming the guidelines VGGT
Womens key role in food security and natural resource management is not recognised Implementing the guidelines VGGT
13

Thank you! l.miggiano_at_landcoalition.org If you
want to know more on the ILCs Womens Land
Rights Initiative, please visit
www.landcoalition.org