Developing a capacity building methodology on women's land ownership rights, in contexts of customary laws, Cultures, state laws and religious interpretations
Original Schedule: March - August 2010
Revised schedule requested: March – November 2010
(The letter of request submitted on September 29, 2010)
Project Objectives:
1. Method of enhancing women's awareness and knowledge of Their land ownership rights, Including different modes of ownership;
2. Method of enhancing women's capacity to counter disempowering forces using customary laws, Cultures, state laws and religious interpretations
Semarak Cerlang Nusa - Consultancy, Research and Education for Social Transformation (SCN - CREST) and The Institute for Women's Empowerment (IWE)
Period Of Activities : April – August 2010
Reported : 30 September 2010
IV. What have been the impacts or outcomes of these activities?
4.1. One visible impact is the change in thinking on the part of the local field coordinator in West Sumatra as a result of her participation in the 28-30 April workshop. At this workshop, SCN member gave an example of influential advocacy whereby networking among activists led to a judicial review of the Law on Pornography. This example inspired Juni Warlif to think of organising a hearing among legislators in West Sumatra, Padang District, about women's inheritance and property rights. Although this hearing is not yet organised, there was an impact on Warlif from the workshop, which may lead to a larger outcome.
4.2 According to the NTB local field coordinator, at a workshop organised by the project, a woman participant shared her experience of how even though her father had given her land through hibah (*hibah* means bestowing land on people who may not be your legal heirs. In order words, one can give land to any one through hibah) when he was alive, he did not have this legalised. As a result, when he died, the land he had given her through hibah was claimed by someone else and she (the
daughter) was not able to do anything about it. This sharing of information led Damiras (a customary leader) to come to LBH APIK after the workshop to tell the field coordinator that he was handling a case of hibah where an old man wanted to give his land to his five daughters. After the workshop, Damiras said he recommended to this old man that the land should be divided equally between the
five daughters and that the hibah letter should be endorsed officially by a notary in order to have the force of law, which cannot be disputed or questioned by others.
V. What have been the challenges? Did you have to change your implementation plan due to these challenges?
The challenges include the following:
1. As mentioned about the local field coordinators, it is sometimes not easy to maintain the morale of project participants and to keep encouraging them to fight for their rights. Some women have court cases that have dragged on for years with no useful results at the end of the legal process. So they may feel that it is hopeless to keep struggling for their land rights.
2. To keep up the spirits of the village women, it is necessary for the field coordinator and other team members to maintain communication and good relations with them, including visiting their homes. In other words, the relationship of trust has to be fostered continuously. However, this takes time, energy and financial resources. So even though the team members are trying their best, they also face constraints because of the lack of time, the need to do multi-tasking, and the limitation of financial resources to hire sufficient people to do different things.
3. The field coordinators also need to have their morale kept up with communication by the project coordinator and other members of SCN from Jakarta through email, online chatting and telephone calls. In addition, the capacity of the field coordinators also needs to be developed through the contribution of information and readings about women's inheritance and property rights, including discussions about such issues.
4. Because the project is coordinated in Jakarta, certain assumptions about urban experiences shaped the development of the workplan, which was then found to be inappropriate for the villagers in the two project sites. This caused a delay in project completion because the villagers could not attend any WIPR meetings or workshops during the fasting month of Ramadhan (9 Aug - 9 Sep) and the celebration of Lebaran (10 - 20 Sep). Even the last 10 days of September were not possible for them, because they themselves had so many work duties and other responsibilities to attend to after Ramadhan and Lebaran. As a result, SCN was forced to delay the training workshops to be organised in the two project sites to October or November. SCN has thus made a request to the WRRC Program Manager for an extension to complete the project.
5. The fall in the value of the Euro limited financial resources available to hire a sufficient number of fieldworkers for implementing the project in the villages and also professional technicians for producing capacity building materials. As a result, a few people now have to do many things, which also slows things down. However, SCN is nevertheless trying its best to fulfill all deliverables, including developing a capacity building methodology and producing capacity building materials, by having its own members and associates do all the necessary tasks by themselves.