Source: ILC
Advocates of Women’s Land Rights including Women’s NGOs, members of the Judiciary, and key Government Departments pertinent to women’s issues, have launched the Women’s Land Rights Movement, a loose coalition under the auspices of the Uganda Land Alliance fighting for the common purpose of protecting women’s rights over land. A Working Group that will spearhead the objectives of the Movement was constituted on the 1st of June 2010 during a meeting convened at Speke Hotel in Kampala.
The Working Group was motivated by among others the need to establish a deliberate programme, to specifically focus on issues of women’s land rights in different contexts and regions of Uganda. The Women’s representatives observe that in order to promote and protect women’s rights over land, there’s need for a concerted effort and voice not only at the top, but also rising from down at the grassroots.
Other key issues highlighted by the women as pertinent included the increasing cases of land grabbing, commercialization of land, the rampant evictions, resettlement challenges in Northern Uganda, disaster preparedness and exploration of alternative dispute resolution. The women pledged to reinvigorate their efforts by sensitizing their colleagues of their rights especially at the grassroots, and also plan to keep the pressure on government to not only listen, but practically address their problems.
As part of their first assignment, the Working Group members agreed to organize a National Women’s Land Rights Conference tentatively scheduled for October 2010 in Kampala. The conference is expected to bring together over 500 participants drawn from various parts of the country. They will give testimonies of violation of their rights, and also present academic papers on women’s land rights issues.
For further information, please contact:
The Executive Director Uganda Land Alliance
Tel: +256-414-540048
E-mail: Ula@ulaug.org
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