Report of the National Conference: Women's Property Rights ... - FAO

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The workshop concluded with participants agreeing to take forward the concreteproposals emanating from discussions with the appreciation that the increasinglydisproportionate vulnerability of women in the face of widespread poverty, escalatingHIV and AIDS infection rates and diminished access to land constitutes a national crisis.Opening Speech by the Deputy Minister, Ministry of Community Development andSocial Services Mr. Sebio MukukaThe ChairpersonHon Members of Parliament presentFAO Representative Mr. DongThe Charge d’affaires Embassy of FinlandMembers of the Diplomatic CorpsYour Royal Highnesses Senior Chiefs Monze and NkhomeshaRepresentatives from regional organisationsDirector Zambia Law Development CommissionThe Board Chairperson – Justice for Widows and Orphans ProjectDistinguished invited guestsLadies and gentlemenAll protocols observed.It gives me great pleasure and honour to be here with you today. First of all I would liketo thank Justice for Widows and Orphans Project (JWOP), Zambia Law DevelopmentCommission and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for extending their invitationto the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services whose interest is to lookinto the welfare of vulnerable groups.This invitation is a sign of strong working relationship between government and civilsociety. In fact the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services is as youmay be aware working towards the improvement of livelihoods for the vulnerable peoplein our society especially widows and orphans.Ladies and gentlemen, the number of widows and orphans in Zambia is alarming and anyeffort aimed at ameliorating their plight should be encouraged. The number of childrenaged between 0 to 18 years is estimated at 6,000,000 out of a population of 10,200,000.From this 6,000,000 we have about 1,100,000 who are orphans. This is about 19% of thetotal number of children in the country. The number of orphans due to HIV and AIDShas been estimated at 630,000. This means that about 60% of children have beenorphaned due to HIV and AIDS. Chairperson, Zambia has a very high prevalence rate ofHIV and AIDS. It is estimated that one in every five people is infected with the HIVvirus. According to the latest statistics from Central Statistics Office, 16 percent of thetotal population is infected with the virus; this means that the nation will lose hundreds ofpeople in the next ten years. The result will be an increase in the number of widows,widowers, orphans, and vulnerable children.36
Chairperson, while there are scanty statistics on of the number of widows in the country,we know that the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the country has contributed to manywomen being widowed. Challenges being faced by widows and orphans includefinancial and social injustices. These injustices are mainly due to traditional practiceswhich have continued despite the HIV and AIDS pandemic. That is why projects likethis one need to be upheld for the benefit of those affected.The role of administrators of deceased persons’ estate is usually misunderstood. Someadministrators volunteer to be appointed so that they can inherit property. There havebeen situations where administrators of estates have as assumed ownership of thedeceased persons’ property at the expense of the rightful beneficiaries. In addition, moreand more cases on land and inheritance are taking centre stage and that is why it isappropriate that this conference embraces the theme.” Property and a piece of land givewomen and children a peace of mind”.Zambia has signed many international agreements and protocols that are relevant to thehuman rights of widows and orphans. International instruments such as the Conventionon the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights, the international Convention on Civil andPolitical Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child are some of theseinstruments. Under CEDAW, the Zambian government has pledged to take allappropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws,regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women.The United Nations has also set up a task force to research on issues of property and landinheritance rights. Our job as government is to help put up conducive laws and policiesthat will stand the test of time. As of now my ministry is working on a review of acts orlegislation related to children.Chairperson, it would not be proper for me to continue talking about the work of theproject, without making mention of the people who have made it possible for the projectto function. My thanks and gratitude goes to the Embassy of Finland for providing fundsto the project since inception.The conference I am officiating at today is as a result of partnership between Justice forWidows and Orphans project, Zambia Law Development Commission, and FAOZimbabwe. The workshop is sponsored by the Embassy of Finland and FAO.The workshop has attracted participants from 5 countries in Africa and these are:Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. We have over 80 participantshere with different backgrounds that have come to share with us their experiences in theareas of women’s property rights and livelihoods in the context of HIV and AIDS inZambia. This is the first ever powerful gathering of intellectuals to be assembled inZambia to discuss the plight of widows and orphans.37
Page 2 and 3: Table of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 4 and 5: LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSCOHRE:ESCR:FAO
Page 6 and 7: 2.0 Welcome and Opening RemarksFlor
Page 8 and 9: 3.0 Legal issues of women’s prope
Page 10 and 11: grabbing. The category of widows an
Page 12 and 13: 4.3 Rights of widows and orphans in
Page 14 and 15: Chieftainess Nkomesha proposed that
Page 16 and 17: I used the pension money from my la
Page 18 and 19: among female-headed households. The
Page 20 and 21: 7.3 Zimbabwe Republic Police Progra
Page 22 and 23: discovered through the Home Based C
Page 24 and 25: Gradually, the marriage became viol
Page 26 and 27: Act has a number of gaps in terms o
Page 28 and 29: move a little, within the same area
Page 30 and 31: • National Gender policy in need
Page 32 and 33: Why these targets?Policy makers•
Page 34 and 35: also traditional land administered
Page 38 and 39: Distinguished guests, ladies and ge
Page 40 and 41: • Third, ways must urgently be fo
Page 42 and 43: • Continue sharing experiences•
Page 44 and 45: inspiring testimonies from Uganda,
Page 46 and 47: STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ON HOW TO MOVE
Page 48 and 49: Annex 3: Workshop Programme and Lis
Page 50 and 51: List of participants, organizations
Page 52: Moreen Mudimba Ntengwe Orphan Manjo

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