Land and Gender-Based Violence: Experiences from Rwanda and Liberia
- Publisher:
- Focus on Land in Africa
- Publication Date:
- 25 February 2015
- Tags:
- Liberia, Rwanda, Health and Medicine, Human Rights, Women and Gender
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).
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