A Woman & her Land - Uganda Land Alliance

Background to Women’s Land RightsAccording toArticle 2 ofthe 1948 UniversalDeclaration of HumanRights (UDHR) towhich Uganda is asignatory, “Everyone isentitled to all the rightsand freedoms set forthin this Declaration,without distinction ofany kind, such as race,colour, sex, language,religion, political orother opinion, nationalor social origin, property, birth or other status...”.This is consistent with Article 1 which statesthat “All human beings are born free and equalin dignity and rights. They are endowed withreason and conscience and should act towards oneanother in a spirit of brotherhood”; and Article 17(1 and 2) “ Everyone has the right to own propertyalone as well as in association with others; and Noone shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.”Uganda’s 1995 Constitution is in tandem with theUDHR and other regional and international humanrights instruments. Article 33(6) of the Constitutionfor example prohibits ‘laws, customs or traditionswhich are against the dignity, welfare or interestof women”. Considering that all human rights areinherent, and that they apply to everyone by virtueof their status as human beings irrespective ofsexual orientation, discrimination of women on landrights is therefore untenable because it impedes theconcept of fairness and mutual co-existence.Despite the promulgation of basic human rights inthe Constitution, most traditions across the country,for many years have continued to suppress women’srights particularly to land and other property, whichhas kept them trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.According to the International Land Coalition (ILC),“Women have fewer benefits and protection underlegal systems than men and are largely excludedfrom decision-making structures. Women also lackcontrol of financial resources, have larger workburdens, and are more likely to suffer from socialisolation and threats or acts of violence.” This isdespite the fact that;“Women are primary agriculturalproducers, cultivating between 60and 80 per cent of the food in mostdeveloping countries, and ensurehousehold food security.”Continued to page 21