Majority of N-E women ignorant of land ownership - CPA survey

BY NADIRA Gunatilleke

IN the Vanni, dowry is officially prohibited, whereas it is widely practised in Batticaloa and Jaffna. Where dowry is prohibited in LTTE controlled areas of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in the Vanni, `donations' is widely prevalent.

About 80 percent of private lands in the Jaffna district are owned by women, a research findings on women's access to and ownership of land and property conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) say.

Most of the State lands are owned by men. The findings say that a majority of the men (43 %) in Jaffna view land as a dowry for their offspring whereas a majority of the women (46 %) view land as their home.

In Kilinochchi, a majority of men (77 %) view land as a means of their livelihood, while the women still view it as their home (52%).

In general the research highlighted women's minimal or complete lack of awareness with regard to their land and property rights in each of the three areas. Similarly, there was either little or no awareness among women as to the laws and mechanisms available to them for protecting these rights.

In some instances, social pressures and cultural norms may act as deterrents to women accessing these mechanisms. Many women were not aware that their name could be registered on a permit or deed and were under the impression that it had to be registered in the husband's name even when it was dowry property.

This lack of awareness was compounded by the difficulties women face physically registering and or property in their own name.

In comparison with Jaffna, more women in Kilinochchi have lands registered in their own name. A majority of men and women in Jaffna stated that their lands are registered jointly.

The CPA carried out this research study in Batticaloa, Jaffna and Vanni. Land and property are closely associated with livelihood and empowerment. Gender plays a keyrole in land and property issues in defining ownership, access and control.

Therefore land and property issues pertaining to women and pivotal areas and integral to a just, democratic and durable peace settlement.

The research conducted by the CPA focuses on the difficulties women face in owning and accessing land and property, legal issues related to the topic, the nature of land disputes, the modalities of their resolution and related of assistance from governmental and non governmental agencies.