WOMEN AND SECURITY OF TENURE
As a major factor of production, the importance of land cannot be overstated. Steps have been taken to improve its productivity and access but security of tenure remains an issue, particularly in developing countries. Security of tenure has become hard to attain for certain groups such as women, children, the youth and minority communities around the globe and for this article, I would like us to zero in on the African continent.
Research has shown that a majority of wealth in Africa is generated through land but only about 10% is owned by women. Quite a huge disparity considering that women account for the larger workforce on these lands. Security of tenure is hard to come by in Africa and even as laws are made to try and remedy the situation, they seem to be discriminatory or gender biased and women end up on the losing end.
At the start of the year, the world was rocked by the coronavirus pandemic and as I write this, it still rages on. With the death toll at hundreds of thousands, many women across Africa have lost their husbands to the virus leading to some having their land tenure threatened. In Africa, a lot of the land is held under customary tenure and incase a man passes away, the widow may have a hard time as the family members of her husband may try to take away what is rightfully hers and her children. The virus has made the existing inequalities for women worse and there is fear that some of the progress made during previous years may be lost.
With stories doing rounds on TV stations such as Citizen and K24 about women being ejected from their homes, others having their homes demolished even after obtaining court orders to stop demolitions, having to put up with domestic violence for fear of being kicked out of their family homes and cases of some receiving threats from family members after the passing of their spouse all through this pandemic should paint a worry some picture of the state of affairs when it comes to security of tenure.
Women with the least social power such as widows, divorcees, single parents, the aged and wives of migrant workers have the hardest time trying to gain security of tenure. With a system that they feel is stacked against them, most have little option but to cave to demands that leave them poor where they end up raising their children in misery. Yes, countless think pieces have been written on this very subject. But how far across has the message been heard? What measures have been put in place to ensure that this is corrected?
Most governments from across the continent have taken the initiative to integrate the sustainable development goals to their national development programmes thus furthering women’s rights in land and tenure security. Bills to safeguard women’s rights have been passed into law while NGOs have been at the forefront of community outreach, educating people on the importance of secure land tenure for every single person. Unfortunately, corruption, which is at the heart of most of Africa’s policy fails, allows those with more social power to maneuver around them reverting us back to where we all started.
African governments need to understand that NGOs can only do so much and it is up to them to invest in community based civil education for their citizens. This is to help them not only understand the evolving land rights but also how to take advantage of secure tenure for more growth and development. It should also aim to extinguish the myth that women should not own land while also implementing necessary safeguards to ensure that development agendas do not leave women behind.
Opportunities to secure land tenure further enhance family food security and also allows women to take credit on their land for more investment ventures to further improve their lives. As stated by the UN, programmes created on a rights based perspective should be used to ensure that reinforcement of discrimination against minorities does not occur.
Secure tenure for all would bring us a step closer in achieving the SDG land related goals where; Goal 1, “end poverty in all its forms everywhere” is achieved by having more women get access and ownership of land especially where communally owned according to customary or indigenous traditions. Goal 2 “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture,” where secure tenure creates climate for investment and productivity thus ensuring food security and growth of markets. Third and the essence of this article, Goal 5 “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” achieved by protecting women’s land rights through policy reforms to strengthen women’s access, including inheritance, divorce, and other laws which support to reform of customary systems.
Stay safe, stay home if you can and always social distance when out and about.
