South Sudan grass-roots Women Gather to Address Barriers to Land Ownership Despite Constitutional Rights

South Sudan grassroots women have gathered for a workshop to discuss barriers to land ownership despite constitutional rights.

Women across South Sudan continue to face significant barriers to accessing and owning land despite legal provisions guaranteeing equal rights, participants at a women’s land rights workshop said on Thursday.

The concerns were raised during a workshop on mobilizing grassroots women to participate in advocacy for women’s land rights, organized by GEPA South Sudan.

The Chairperson of South Sudan Land Alliance, Dorothy Drabuga said many women remain excluded from land ownership because of cultural practices, limited awareness of land laws and weak enforcement of existing legal protections.

She added that women play a central role in supporting their families and contributing to agricultural production but are often denied opportunities to own or control land.

Moses Opio, the Administrative Officer of GEPA, stressed the importance of grassroots women understanding, claiming and protecting their land rights at the community level.

Zahara Said, one of the facilitators, said women and men should have equal rights and be treated equally because both contribute to supporting their families.

One of the participants who is also a widow shared her experience of losing access to her late husband’s property after his death. She said her husband’s family inherited the property while she received only a small amount of money that had been kept in a bank.

Participants called on government institutions, traditional leaders, civil society organizations and communities to work together to promote gender equality in land ownership.

They also called for greater representation of women in land governance and decision-making processes, with women lawyers playing a key role in ensuring that women’s rights are recognized and protected.

Following the significant discussions, the participants formed a steering committee to address barriers to women’s land ownership and promote women’s rights at the grassroots level.

GEPA South Sudan link: https://gepasouthsudan.org/