Statement on International Women's Day 2021

LANDnet Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate this 8th day of March 2021, a day specifically designated to celebrate the women: our colleagues, our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters for the tremendous and critical role they each play in their various capacities at home, in the community, at the workplace and the entire nation.

This year’s national theme: "Building on Women’s Strength for a Better Future in a Covid-19 world" underscores the resilience, bravery, and reliability of women during various crises that have befallen Uganda. History demonstrates that from previous pandemics like Yellow Fever, Ebola, and Marburg, women have been at the forefront of care service provided to the patients and relatives in hospitals and homes. The United Nations1 estimates that globally, women make up 70% of the health workforce such as nurses, midwives, and community health workers despite an apparent discrepancy in remuneration compared to men in the same positions.

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, women’s role in food production and general agricultural land utilization remains undisputed. Their high constitution of more than half of the agricultural workforce means that they ensured the availability of food in the country during these hard times.

However, despite the fact that women are more than half of the agricultural workforce, their land and property rights still remain hanging in the balance. A majority of the women do not own the land and or control the proceeds from the land they till. The country’s legal framework, while providing a certain degree of property rights protection to women, remains inadequate. Women continue to lose their land to other relatives including inlaws, siblings as well as the rich and influential neighbors, or even local or international investors because they are not aware of how or lack the means to protect their land. As such, it is critical that women’s continued role in supporting families and nations during pandemics such as the current Covid-19 is contingent upon a conducive legal regime that practically safeguards their land and other property rights.

To this end, LANDnet Uganda calls upon the Parliament of Uganda to expeditiously pass the Succession (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and other gender Bills that are within Parliament. Such laws not demonstrate the State’s commitment to its core international human rights law obligations but more importantly enhance women’s resilience during harsh economic times arising out pandemics like the current Covid-19. Women are key stakeholders in the fight against poverty and injustice but can only play this role in an environment of mutual respect, equality, and fairness that thrive on a favorable legal regime.

As we commemorate this special month and day of women, we call upon the Government of Uganda, the broader civil society, all well-wishers and lovers of women and girls, to rally behind efforts that aim at economically empowering women. These include legal and policy reforms, aimed at strengthening and realizing women’s access, control, use, and ownership of economic resources like land.

Happy International Women’s Day!