A Concept Note on “Campaign for Gender Mainstreaming through WomenLand Rights”

Introduction

Concerns about women access to, control over,and ownership of land resources have been raised over the years at different but inter-related level.Making access to land is one way to achieve development. The millennium development goal recognizes the need to gender equality and empower women, the need to alleviate poverty and ensure sustainable environmental management. Feminist critiques of development have identified the marginalization of women from the means of production as critical factor in the subordination of women.

Context:

Looking at the situation in developing country like India and more specifically the state of affairs in rural Orissa, the context within which access to land and environmental resources occurs is nuanced by diverse factors. First, the conceptualization of gender as a social construct where roles and realms of operation of men and women are set and translated into power relationship where masculinity and feminity denote differentiated entitlements to resources. Secondly, there are different legal order is used to allocate resources. Law can empower or disempower its subjects in the quest for access to land. Legal equality may result in substantive inequality where the prevailing situation of legal subjects is not taken into account. Thirdly, the patriarchal social ordering of Indian society makes access to land in favour of male members of the society.

Further, in mostcommunities, women have historically managed and shouldered the responsibilities of domestic labor, family care, and nutritional security. As the definitions of these gender roles and the contexts surrounding them become more tenuous (generating both positive and negative impacts on women), the need for women to be able to secure land and property has become even more critical.

In addition to this, similar to the cross-cutting nature of other women’s human rights issues, women’s land rights intersect with other problems such as discriminatory inheritance patterns, agriculture and development issues, gender-based violence, the appropriation and privatization of communal and indigenous lands, as well as gendered control over economic resources and the right to work. Women continued to struggle to become legitimate land can determine a family’s food security, income, social status and political power. However, while women perform the majority of the world’s agricultural work, they often do not have secured land tenure & rarely reach financial independence.

Situational Analysis in Orissa

Though Orissa is bestowed with high volume of natural resources, still it is considered as one of the most backward states of the Country. Women are considered as most neglected and vulnerable sections of the state. With an intention to empower women state Government has undertaken many activities through Mission Shakti and other such highlighted programme both in the tribal region and other pockets as well. Still progress is very slow and not visible. Most of the efforts are ad-hoc and charity oriented where most of the activities of NGOs/ CBOs and Government are on relief mode which speaks more on short term results. In the present women empowerment context there is dire need of intervention to take up women land rights issue for as many organisations involved in the women empowerment process are yet to take up such aspects vehemently. Besides, Women contribution to village economy and farm production is less recognised as they have less control and rights over farm land. Of course with some specific Government housing schemes like IAY women are these days becoming owners of land jointly with their husband still they have less control over it.

Need and Relevance

In the household front women generally manage to arrange the food and fuel specifically in rural areas so also in the tribal pockets of Orissa. Women’s position Vis- a-Vis livelihood security is both vulnerable and powerful. It is vulnerable because women are often the first victims of natural calamities, flood, and rising food prices. The impact of food insecurity on women and their households is rather well known it is also directly related to natural resource management in the hilly tribal areas.This present initiatives supports women folk take a greater role at engender Agriculture, and give emphasis on attention and reiteration on the role of women to generate creativity and power that can empower women as community resources and manager. Women would be able take greater role in managing families need through backyard plantation and kitchen garden. The present intervention on land and women rights really will be trigger the women empowerment process

The Way Forward:

Gender neutral land and environmental law have not facilitated the women’s access to resources. Gender neutral laws operate in gendered contexts. For law and policy to engender women’s rights requires an organizedeffort or movement in a campaigning mode from formal equality to substantive equality through addressing the structural barriers that hinders women access to land and resources. Moresignificantly, there is need for innovative approaches in determining access to land and environmental resources for sustainable development.

Proposed Operational Areas:

In this campaign proposed operational districts are a) Nayagarh b) Boudh c) Kandhamal

Long Term Objective: Mainstreaming Gender for Food Security by Ensuring access to and ownership over land resources by women

Specific Objectives:

a)Sensitizing policy makers ,planners and target women about the importance of women land rights

b)Campaigning for collective action on women land rights at the regional level as well as state level

c)Promotingnetworkof womenleaders, village institutions and civil society organizations to enable them to engage in dialogue with the state and civil society

d)Preparation ofstrategic plan document and possible areas for further intervention

e)To highlight the importance of women land rights for food and nutrition through research and documentation.

Activities:

  • Mobilizing the women and building a cadre to claim their right by way of putting a pressure to government for policy change
  • Awareness and community mobilization through different communication drive i.e. rallies, street play and posters.

Workshops at the District level involving local NGOs,

Selection and identification possible areas of intervention in the state

Identification of critical issues related to women land rights

Analysis of the women empowerment with greater access and control over natural resources with special focus to land rights

Sharing different aspects of women land rights and its pros and cons with civil society through consultation events

Dissemination of women issues specifically relating to natural resources

Strategy:

Compiling perceptions of the progressive people from different through workshops and consultation

Consultation with and capacity building of women leaders (PRI), civil society organizations and other village level institutions.

Working with Government Revenue and Agriculture Officials to prepare a plan of action to move address the prevailing issues and look forward

Discussions with Villagers specifically male folk of rural areas in Orissa about the women’s right on land

Focus group discussions with Women Groups and peer groups

Taking up the land rights issue among the organisations specifically working on women and gender issues

Expected Outcome:

Action plan document through compilation of perceptions, views and opinions of people from different social strata

Identification and documentation of prevailing critical issues and put forth before government to realize its importance.

Publication of Periodicals/Journal on Women rights over Natural Resources specifically land rights

Setting a strong base through community mobilization and awareness through communication drive to take the issue forward for its redressal

Network and forums at the district level and regional level promoted to trigger the process forward

Women have control and rights over property specifically over farm land and homestead land.