Joseph Inokotong, Abuja
Ahead of the World Bank’s opening session on Land and Poverty Conference 2019, it has been revealed that most women in the world are not able to proclaim equal land and property rights in spite legal protections.
Members of a new global campaign warned formally before its launch Monday that “women in half of the countries in the world are unable to assert equal land and property rights despite legal protections”.
The campaign, Stand For Her Land, aims to close the persistent gap between law and practice worldwide so that millions of women can realize these rights in their daily lives.
In a statement, the World Bank said persistent discriminatory social norms and practices are among the strongest barriers standing between women and their land and property rights.
It stressed that weak implementation of policies, insufficient capacity to enforce laws, and a lack of political will further compound the problem.
According to the bank, poor access to legal services and a lack of understanding of laws within communities and households – and by women themselves – build an invisible but near impenetrable wall to women realizing land and property rights in rural and urban areas alike.
Chief Programme Officer with the land rights group, Landesa, a founding partner of the Stand For Her Land campaign, Karol Boudreaux said “For men and women alike, land is the foundation for security, shelter, and livelihood, supports women’s dignity and creates pathways to empowerment and economic opportunity.
“For women, land truly is a gateway right – without it, efforts to improve the basic rights and well-being of all women will continue to be hampered.”
Stand For Her Land founding partners, Habitat for Humanity, Huairou Commission, Landesa, Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Partners, and the World Bank are hosting a public launch event, “Presenting Stand For Her Land,” Monday, ahead of the opening session of the World Bank Land and Poverty Conference 2019 at The World Bank, in Washington, D.C.