In 2016, MRLG supported its partner organisation Consultative Institute for Socio-Economic Development of Rural and Mountainous Areas (CISDOMA) to provide legal assistance to 1,500 ethnic women in 14 villages of Hoa Binh province, Vietnam.
In Vietnam the right of women for equitable access to land is recognised and protected in its current legal framework. Specifically, it is required that Land Use Right Certificates (LURCs) are issued with both the name of the husband and wife. In practice, the number of LURCs that are issued under both names remains low and is even lower in the case of ethnic minority households.
Patriarchal societies and remote location result in limited access to information on land rights for women in ethnic minorities. Women in the focal 14 villages were not aware of their rights and were thus not able to claim equitable access to land as provided by the legal framework.
In response to this challenge, MRLG supported CISDOMA to help identify a lack of a suitable model among mandated authorities and mass organisations to facilitate and support land tenure rights for women. CISDOMA provided legal advice and assistance to these women to facilitate their securing of their land rights. They were provided with legal counseling support directly in their communities, making impacts to encourage them to implement legal formalities, not only the case of requiring re-issuance of LURC with two names (husband and wife), but to also pursue other legal procedures in order to ensure their rights to land.
Following the success of the MRLG funded project, CISDOMA received further funding from The German government to run the 4-year project “ Enhancing land rights for ethnic women in Vietnam via improved legal literacy and legal assistance” from October 2019 – September 2022. This project will further assist ethnic women to successfully claim their land rights.
Promoting gender equity for land rights remains a key MRLG strategy as we progress into Phase 2 as we believe that women play a crucial role in sustainable development.
You can expect to see further website and newsletter articles detailing MRLG’s ongoing efforts to support and protect women’s land rights.
