Owning land may not sound particularly sexy, but in one of the world’s poorest countries, where land is a vital resource, the new law is a big step towards equality and women’s rights in Sierra Leone. “The right to own land is a cornerstone in the fight for equality,” says Cecilie Ravn-Christensen, who is a land inspector there, and in 2014 worked with land rights in Africa for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO. In Sierra Leone, 95 percent of the country’s land was subject to the so-called customary law, which is a set of traditional rules, where men are the head of the family and thus own the family’s land. Customary legislation differs from tribe to tribe, and it is often local chiefs who control who must use and own land. This has put the women in a vulnerable situation, if, for example, they lose their husband or get divorced. “When the women don’t own the land, they lose the land,” says Cecilie Ravn-Christensen, and explains that if their husband dies, the eldest son, the man’s father or brother gets the land. In this way, the women lose their basis of existence. “Land is the foundation for agricultural production, which is dominant in many African countries,” says Diana Højlund Madsen, who is a senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala. The earth forms the basis for families and women’s livelihood, therefore it is an essential resource, she explains. But it changes the new law for land rights, which prohibits discrimination through custom, which until now has excluded women from owning and inheriting land. Failure to comply with the law is punishable by a fine of around NOK 17,000 and up to five years in prison. But it is actually not the only new law that promotes women’s rights in Sierra Leone. An ambitious equality law has also been adopted, which among other things supports women’s opportunity to enter the labor market. Women run agriculture In Sierra Leone, 8.4 million people live there. About 70 percent of them live in rural areas, where agriculture is the primary source of income. According to the FAO, almost half of the country’s GDP comes from agriculture, and women make up 70 percent of the workforce in agriculture. “There is something very absurd about women not having the same access to the land, because often they are far better at cultivating it,” says Cecilie Ravn-Christensen. She explains that ownership is also about being able to invest in the land. “If they own the land, they can also mortgage it,” she says, and this gives the women the opportunity to expand their business. It will also help the country’s economy, because it is estimated that female farmers directly affect the national income by 40 percent. But in addition to a better economy, it is also prestigious to own land. “When women own the land, they get a voice in society,” says Cecilie Ravn-Christensen. They simply get a higher status, and that means an enormous amount for women’s self-understanding and men’s view of them, she explains. “Women can’t own land” And together with the law on land rights, the government has also adopted an ambitious new law for equality. It includes, among other things, equal pay for equal work, equal access to borrowing money and having a bank account and 14 weeks’ maternity leave for women. “It is a huge step for women and society as a whole,” says Cecilie Ravn-Christensen. Now it’s about making the law a reality, she explains. Because the law is one thing, and whether it is enforced is another. Therefore, it will now be exciting to follow the implementation process, explains Diana Højlund Madsen, from the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala. “It is important to make sure that these formal rights are respected,” she says, and points out that just because women are now represented, it does not mean that they speak up and are heard. Because it is difficult to change basic attitudes and cultural norms. The population wants equality Although it is an enormous challenge to change the culture and attitudes, a study shows that more than three quarters of the population in Sierra Leone believe that women should have the same rights as men to own and inherit land. The survey was carried out by Afrobarometer, which is an independent African research network, which measures the public’s attitudes to economic, political and social conditions in Africa. The survey also shows that more than seven out of ten citizens in Sierra Leone believe that women should have the same opportunity to be elected to public office as men. With these new laws, Sierra Leone is therefore working purposefully to ensure that women can own land, but also to get them into the labor market, which will raise both the economy and the status of women in the country, explains Cecilie Ravn-Christensen. “Land rights and equality are undeniable connected”.
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Now women can own land in Sierra Leone: “Land rights and equality are undeniably connected”
