Issues in Women's Land Rights in Cameroon

Yaya Fonye Odette

Description

This book explores the customary, social, economic political and rights issues surrounding access, ownership and control over land from a gender perspective. It combines theory and practice from researchers, lawyers and judges, each with track records of working on women and rights concerns. The nexus between the reluctance to recognize and materialize women’s right to land, and the increasing feminization of poverty is undeniable. The problem assumes special acuity in an essentially agrarian context like Cameroon, where the problem is not so much the law as its manner of application. That this book delves into investigating the principal sources and reasons for this prevalent injustice is particularly welcome. As some of the analyses reveal, denying women their right to land acquisition or inheritance is sometimes contrary to established judicial precedents and even in total dissonance with the country’s constitution. Traditional and cultural shibboleths associated with land acquisition and ownership that tend to stymie women’s development and fulfilment, must be quickly shirked, for such retrograde excuses can no longer find comfort in the law, morality nor in “modern” traditional thinking. The trend, albeit timid, of appointing women to Land Consultative Boards and even as traditional authorities, can only be salutary. These are some positive practical steps that can translate the notion of equal rights into “equal power” over land for both sexes; otherwise “equality” in this context will remain an unattractive slogan.

Sujets

• Sociology

Informations

• Publié par: Langaa RPCIG
• Date de parution: 29 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789956727018
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

ISSUES in WOMEN’S LAND RIGHTS in CAMEROON

Edited by Lotsmart N. Fonjong

Safety Area:All Text, Logos & Barcode should remain inside the Pink Dotted Lines Bleed Area:All Backgrounds should extend to, but not past, the Blue Dotted Lines

Issues in Women’s Rights to Land in Cameroon

Edited by Lotsmart N. Fonjong

Langaa Research & Publishing CIG Mankon, Bamenda

Publisher: LangaaRPCIG Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group P.O. Box 902 Mankon Bamenda North West Region Cameroon [e-mail] www.langaa-rpcig.net

Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [e-mail] www.africanbookcollective.com

ISBN: 9956-726-83-4

©Lotsmart N. Fonjong 2012

DISCLAIMER All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Langaa RPCIG.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………... vii

Foreword……………………………………………………………..

ix

Summary……………………………………………………………... xi

Chapter One: Introduction to Land and Rural Women in Cameroon Nebasina Emmanuel Ngwa……………………………………... 1

Chapter Two: Equal Rights but Unequal Power over Land: Rethinking the Process of Engendering Land Ownership and Management in Cameroon Lotsmart N. Fonjong 19

Chapter Three: Women’s Inheritance Rights in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon Justice Vera N. Ngassa………………………………………... 43

Chapter Four: Exploring Women’s Rights within the Cameroonian Legal System: Where do Customary Practices of Bride-Price Fit in? Vera N. Ngassa…………………………………………………. 65

Chapter Five: Women and Land Registration in Anglophone Cameroon: Lessons from South Africa Mike A. Yanou & Patience Sone…………………………………………………… 87

Chapter Six: Mediating between Customs and Statutes in the Process of Land Registration and Enforcement of Women’s Rights in Cameroon: The Role of the Administration Florence Awasom………………………………………………..101

iii

Chapter Seven: Land Reforms in South Africa and Uganda: Practices for Enhancing the Process in Cameroon Lawrence Fombe & Irene Sama-Lang………………………………………………... 119

Chapter Eight: Discrimination in Women’s Property and Inheritance Rights in Cameroon: The Role of Human Rights NGOs in Promoting Gender Sensitive Land Reforms Harmony Bobga…………………………………………………135

Notes on Contributors………………………………………….……

iv

157

v

vi

Acknowledgements

Working on a book of this nature with authors from different professional backgrounds and locations can be very demanding. These same factors almost thwarted the book but for the constant encouragement and support from many people who have helped to make this book possible. We are indebted to the Canadian based International Development Research Centre (IDRC) that provided our entire funding and Ms Ramata Thioune of IDRC West Africa Office in Darker who keep reminding me of her desire to read the book. I want to appreciate the collaboration of Florence Awasom, Harmony Bobga, Michael Yanou, Patience Sone and Vera Ngassa for braving all the odds to turn in their final papers within the deadlines. Many thanks go to Professors Emmanuel Nebasina Ngwa and Galega Samagena who respectively accepted to write the introduction and forward to the book and delivered the job in record time. Finally, I want to extend special thanks to my colleagues Irene Sama- Lang and Lawrence Fombe of the IDRC-UB Land Rights research team for their contributions and support; the reviewers who worked closely with us to review the papers and the proofreader, Anastasia Smith, of the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

vii