By Bill W. Cooper
Sweden’s largest Civil Society Platform, ForumCIV and its implementing partners have climaxed the first ever Rural Women Land Rights Conference (RWLRC) aimed at creating a platform which allows the voices of rural women to be heard in Gbarnga, Bong County.
The conference which commenced on Monday, October 26, ended on Wednesday, October 28 as it was held under the theme: “Secure Land Rights Now For Rural Women”, as it’s fully funded by the Swedish government and also supported by the Liberia Land Authority (LLA).
During the three-day conference, participants, predominately older women from Bomi, Bong, Grand Gedeh, Margibi, Grand Cape Mount and Grand Gedeh Counties including Gbapolu, Lofa, Nimba and River Gee Counties respectively were all in attendance for the occasion.
Others were representatives from the Swedish Embassy in Monrovia, ForumCIV Executive Director, the Liberia Land Authority (LAA) Chair and co-chairperson, land right advocacy CSO’s, Bong County Superintendent, Town Chiefs, Elders as well as county residents among others.
Speaking at the close of the conference, ForumCIV Liberia Land Rights Coordinator, Richlue O. Burphy said that the primary objective of the conference was to create a platform that will allow the voices of Liberian rural women to be heard, as well as increase their knowledge on the Land Rights Act of 2018, and other legal frameworks of government and women tenure security.
According to Burphy, the first ever rural women land rights conference was also intended to stimulate the potential of Liberia’s rural women in a bid to accelerate and amplify their advocacy and influence aimed at enabling them to contribute to the national agenda of women rights in the country.
He added that the conference will further help identify constraints that continuously impede women’s abilities in order for them to exercise their land right advocacy, while at the same congratulated the various participants for their patience and courage exhibited during the RWLRC Conference held in Gbarnga, Bong County.
Earlier, the LLA vice-chairperson, P. Bloh Sayeh, speaking on the topic: ‘making land institutions more gender sensitive’ said that though gender normally refers to both male and female, but stated that throughout human history, gender sensitivity had tipped the scale in favor of their male counterparts, something she said has always made the females secondary.
According to her, they are now in the twenty-first century and yet women are still struggling for their rights, and that the organizing or hosting of the first ever National Rural Women Land Rights Conference speaks volumes, but lamented that it screams that even though there are laws on the books inclusive of women land rights law which gives women equal right to land, and said, “the insensitivity to the plight of women when it comes to land rights still persists in our society.”
Madam Sayeh then stressed the need for Land institutions to adopt a few strategic objectives to promote gender sensitivity ranging from institutionalizing gender equity, the developing of capacity to enable gender sensitivity programing to promote equal participation in decision making process among others, adding, “Because the main challenges for land institutions in creating gender equity is to understand and acknowledge the complexity of property rights regime as they relate to men and women.”
Meanwhile, the various rural women from Bomi, Bong, Grand Gedeh, Margibi, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Gbapolu, Lofa, Nimba and River Gee Counties have called on President George M. Weah to make budgetary allocations for the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) which they said is the custodian of all land issues in the country.
The women in their draft declaration also called on their duty bearers, particularly chiefs, elders, local authorities, national leaders, civil society organizations, donors, and development partners to stand with them in advocating for Land Ownership Rights in the country.
The women who were also presented with gifts at the close of the conference lauded the organizing team, ForumCIV and its partners with the Swedish government and the Liberia Land Authority for setting a platform that allows their voices to be heard, stressing, “Our stories were shared; challenges and issues around obtaining our Land Ownership were identified, and we are in this public manner, committing ourselves, that we will use the advocacy skills gained to engage our leaders who are Decision Makers. But also, we again depend on all of you for your unwavering support to ensure that we achieve success in our endeavors.”
“We the women of Bomi, Bong, and Grand Gedeh Counties, and representatives from Margibi, Grand Cape Mount, Gbapolu, Lofa, Nimba, and River Gee Counties are honored to be here with you all at this first Rural Women Land Rights Conference,” the various rural women said in their declaration that was read by rural women, Amanda S. Kollie and Deddeh Kanmoh separately.