International Human Rights Day 2008

Dec. 10, 2008—On this day 60 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted at the United Nations. The declaration is a pledge to uphold basic human rights and freedoms for everyone around the world.

Although there has been progress in achieving these rights universally, lack of knowledge about human rights is pervasive and can account for innumerable missed opportunities for change. Unfortunately, women are one of the least informed populations about their own human rights.

One of CEDPA’s continual goals has been to inform women about their human rights and educate them about methods to participate in the political procedures that will guarantee those rights.

CEDPA is currently working in Kenya on the issue of inheritance and property rights for women. Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that everyone has the right to own property and the assurance that they will not be deprived of it.

In Kenya and many other countries, women are not guaranteed the right to inherit or own land. The lack of these rights leaves women economically vulnerable. As a result, many women have no way to support themselves, or their children, leaving them destitute.

Not owning land means there is nothing to farm or to borrow against. Male relatives frequently throw women and their children out into the street after the death of their husband and claim any property as their own.

The participants of the What to Expect in Peace and Transition Workshop in Nepal learned about political opportunities that open up for women in post-conflict settings.

At a grassroots level, CEDPA and its partners, the Caucus for Women’s Leadership and the League of Women Voters-Kenya, are educating women and men about the issues surrounding women and property rights. There are many misconceptions about women owning property, such as it will encourage women to leave their husbands, which need to be addressed and clarified.

In addition, CEDPA and its partners are meeting with the Kenyan Ministry of Lands and local land boards regarding the issue. They have also formed a women’s land tenure committee with major women's organizations to draft a Women’s Land Charter to enshrine women’s land rights in the new constitution.

Along similar lines, CEDPA’s most recent project in Nepal is helping women to make their voices heard in the post-conflict reconstruction process and to compel the new government to be more responsive to issues of gender and social inclusion.

In countries emerging from conflict, such as Nepal, there is a window of opportunity that allows women to be involved in the development of new policy frameworks and institutional and governing structures that guarantee their human rights.

In order to prepare Nepali women for what lies ahead, CEDPA conducted a post-conflict workshop series that outlined the political processes that occur after conflict has ended, and ways women can engage in these processes to advance women's leadership.

The workshops inspired participants to form a network called Women Acting Together for Transformative Change or WomenAct. WomenAct has drafted a Woman’s Charter, which upholds the vision put in place by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for inclusion in political parties’ manifestos and in the new constitution.

CEDPA is dedicated to assuring women’s greater participation in political processes as a step to building stronger societies.

Learn more about the CEDPA’s work to increase women’s voices in advocating for their human rights.

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