Across India, only 13 percent of farmland is owned by women
By Rina Chandran
MUMBAI, July 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Activists have launched a campaign in South Asia to appeal to men to stand up for the property rights of their daughters, wives and sisters and ask women to demand their share as a way to curb violence against women in the region.
Property for Her was launched on social media this week, with messages on Twitter and Facebook, as well as a petition on change.org.
The petition asks parents to promise to leave their daughter an equal share of property, and brothers to stand with their sisters in ensuring her rights.
"A lot of violence against women is related to property," said activist Kamla Bhasin, who helped launch the campaign.
For women, it is more than just land deeds, land is abt a way of life that gives dignity, autonomy and self-reliance. #PropertyForHer
— तरूण शर्मा (@Tarun812) July 6, 2017
"We have a lot of legislation guaranteeing equal rights, but it is not implemented because the lawmakers, the police, the judges, the citizens are not gender just. With this campaign, we want to change people's mindsets about property for women."
Across India, only 13 percent of farmland is owned by women, according to census data.
With their names missing from property titles, women are in danger of being thrown out when the husband dies, with the property going to the sons or the husband's brothers.
Despite a 2005 national law that gave women equal inheritance rights, customary law often prevails and women are forced by their brothers or fathers to give up their claim on ancestral property..
Among Muslims, who are governed by their personal law in matters on inheritance, women are only entitled to half the man's share of property,
"Despite the laws, our rights are not guaranteed and women are made to feel bad when they demand their share of property," said Arti Pandey, co-founder of women's rights group Bitiya, who launched the petition on change.org.
"We have to depend on the charity of our brothers and our husbands. Property rights can give us economic independence so we don't have to depend on anyone," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Women contribute majority of workforce but have less than 10% ownership of land.
— Sameer Vikram (@imSamRai) July 5, 2017
Don't ask dowry, give her share of property #PropertyForHer
The #PropertyforHer campaign is being promoted with slogans such as: "Beti dill mein, beti will mein" (Your daughter in your heart and in your will).
Several states offer lower rate mortgages and cheaper registration charges when a property is registered in the name of a woman to encourage this practice. Land or property that is distributed by the state also have joint ownership titles.
"This campaign is not going to guarantee property rights for women right away, but it can be a spark to bring about a change in the patriarchal mindset that prevents its adoption," said Sandeep Chachra, executive director of right group ActionAid India, which is backing the campaign.
(Reporting by Rina Chandran @rinachandran, Editing by Astrid Zweynert @azweynert. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)
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