Women living in rural parts of the
developing world are disproportionately affected by marginalization and
poverty. In Uganda, widows in particular, suffer the risk of land grabbers,
destitution, stigma and abuse. Uganda Community Based Association for Child
welfare (UCOBAC) an IDF grantee supporting in amplifying, the voice of the
locals through advocacy, led to community involvement in making decisions on
matters that affect their livelihoods; and was able save a young lady from
eviction as narrated further below.
A widow and
her children survive the wrath of in-laws
A
young lady aged 24 years experienced the cruelty of her in-laws during the time
when her husband, was suffering from a severe case of Tuberculosis. While
attending to the husband in Mulago, the national referral Hospital, her in-laws
(relatives of the Husband) made a decision on behalf of the ailing husband to
sell off part of the property (Land) under the disguise that the proceeds from
the sale were to help with the medical bills.
During
the process to secure a buyer, the young lady contacted the paralegal trained
in rights and empowerment by UCOBAC and narrated to her the suffering she was
experiencing. The paralegal accepted to intervene in resolving/stopping the
sale and any misunderstandings between the young lady and her in-laws. Form the
discussion, the paralegal contacted the in-laws, and a meeting was scheduled
during which the widow’s concerns were discussed. With the intervention and
guidance of the paralegal, the meeting discussed the concerns and a unanimous
decision was agreed up to halt the sale of the property. Unfortunately shortly
after the meeting had been held, the young lady’s husband succumbed to the
illness. However the timely intervention helped to identify the immediate risk
of violence to the widow, sale of the family property (Land), in addition to
protecting the widow and her children from eviction. This demonstrates that the
paralegal trained in rights and empowerment was a catalyst in resolving the
Gender based violence that the window was to be subjected to.
Currently,
the widow is in full possession of the property (Land), although her means of
livelihood are no longer as they were. She is better off than she would have
been if it was not the timely intervention of the paralegal and a few members
of the community that were aware of the rights of women and children.
