By Mabinty M. Kamara
Women from different walks of life including academics have expressed concerns over the challenges they face in land acquisition and property rights at a three day conference held in Freetown by the Sierra Leone Land Alliance.
Speaking on the first day of the Conference on Monday 18 December 2023, Aminata Kamara, mother of three, narrated how she was chased with her children out of her husband’s properties including land in Lungi in less than a year after the death of the husband. She said she has attempted fighting for what rightfully belongs to her but that she is limited by fear of being killed over the said property.
Other women and girls from universities shared similar experiences at the conference meant to popularize the enacted national Land Rights Act and the Land Rights Commission Act which reviewed existing laws that were mostly not favorable to women and other community members in terms of land ownership and acquisition.
Speaking at the event, the head of the Sierra Leone Land Alliance John Paul Bai gave an overview of the project which he said was inspired by concerns raised by disadvantaged communities and residents of Freetown over their lands for which a commission was subsequently set by the government to investigate the matter but that the report of the committee was never made public.
The Director of the Alliance said that the purpose of the conference was for the women to be familiarized with the twin laws, the Land Rights Act and the Land Rights Commission Act passed, to put them in a better position to claim their rights when it’s necessary. He therefore encouraged the participants to make the best out of the conference and ensured they are familiar with the provisions in the law. He assured of plans to extend the project to other parts of the country to ensure that the law isn’t just there to decorate the pages but serve its purpose.
In her statement, the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission who also chaired the conference, Patricia Nansu Ndanema took the participants through issues of fundamental human rights, especially those that have to do with women’s rights, and challenged them to take their rights, saying they should not fight for their rights but claim them, which she said can happen only when they are familiar with the laws.
She said Sierra Leone was a signatory to several international treaties and laws geared towards the protection of women and girls, citing the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Maputo Protocol. However, she admonished them of their responsibilities, saying that every Right goes with a responsibility. She therefore encouraged the women to be attentive as the facilitators take them through the provisions.
At the end of the conference, the women demanded support in the midst of their fears so that they can get justice for their properties.
One of the facilitators, a lawyer took the participants through the Acts and allayed their fears of intimidation. He encouraged them to be confident and test the law by approaching lawyers with such cases. “There are lawyers who can take up those cases until you get justice for your property. So don’t fear death for it is inevitable. Property fight everywhere I will say is the fight of the ungodly but by faith and through the justice system, people have overcome those challenges,” he said.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (22/12/23)
