A growing body of evidence shows a correlation between gender-based   violence (GBV) and land rights, although more research is needed to   understand the many dimensions of this relationship, and its implications   for social and economic development. Particularly in low-income,   agriculture-based economies, research shows that secure land rights can   increase a woman's economic independence and her bargaining power,   reducing her vulnerability to GBV (USAID 2013). However, research   also suggests that the correlation between GBV and women's land and   property rights is highly variable and context- and culture-dependent. Many sub-Saharan African countries lack systematic and reliable data on   GBV, but studies suggest that GBV is prevalent in the region. In Kenya,   for example, 43 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have   experienced GBV. In Zambia, 59 percent of women have experienced   violence since the age of 15 (cited in Rumbold 2008, pg. 7). In Liberia,   66 percent of women were subjected to GBV during the civil conflicts   between 1989 and 2003 (GOL 2011).