Catherine Zainab Tarawally is a Women’s right activist and Director of Community Action for Human Security (CAHSec) operating in the North of Sierra Leone. She said before now women hardly come out in the open to talk about assets because according to her, tradition in the North, classes women as family property, but with lots of engagement and sensitization from civil society groups, it is minimizing now.
Madam Tarawally said based on their efforts, now women are coming out in the open to talk on their properties right citing an incident involving a woman and her brothers surrounding properties left by their late father. She said the brothers and other family members did not allow the lady to have a share in the said plantations because she was already married, but with their persistent engagement she was given what was rightfully due her in the court.
Catherine noted that “Women are challenged with registration of marriages, because the amount attached to it is too expensive for our sisters in remote areas, and also government intervention in informing women at chiefdom level on inheritance have been weak with absolutely no support.” She went on that, “Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) often come with their projects on various government priorities which is very difficult to reach all the chiefdoms as it is time bound, so we are expecting government through our Parliamentarians to touch base and inform their constituents about the new laws,” she explained.
The Tonkolili district Social Services Officer in the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children Affairs (MSWGCA), Alhaji Sheriff, said action by relatives of the deceased man did not flourish within the ambits of the Laws of the country stressing because these are clear violations of the Devolution of Estate Act of 2007 which Part II, Sections 3, 4, 8, and 9, according to him states clearly how properties are shared among beneficiaries.
The law provides that, “Thirty five percent of the shares go to the surviving spouse, Thirty five percent to the surviving child, Fifteen percent to the surviving parent and fifteen percent in accordance with customary law or Muslim law, as applicable,” he measured.
Mr. Sheriff described the widow’s situation as unfortunate especially when his office is informed late on the issues that could have been sent to court by his Ministry. Still, he recognized that, even though the district doesn’t have a High Court where cases of such are tried, government needs to do more in terms of sensitization and domesticating those Laws at grass root level where according to him most of those incidences do occur.
The Line Manager of the Family Support Unit (FSU) at Rogbaneh police division, Osman Samura said the FSU doesn’t have mandate to investigate the Estate aspect of the Devolution of Estate Act because according to him the act did not give them any provision.
He said, “These are laws that are interpreted by instrument but has no statement of offence or indictments which was why we at the FSU, we are focused more on the psychological aspect of complaints received by the wife and if the children are below eighteen (18), we also investigate for child cruelty, especially when we notice the child or children have been forcefully sent out of their late father’s house,” he stated.
Mr. Samura said the entire aspect of Estate is being handled by the court and that it needs to be popularized just as the Domestic and Gender and Sexual Based Violence Acts because victims especially women, don’t know where to take their matters.
Pa Santigie Kargbo of Rochen village further revealed that, “Women’s natural rights were denied by men but the new Act had highlighted it and we are in the process of transforming from our old practices to the new laws, despite that, we are expected to be face with some challenges and hurdles as we go along because traditional practices have been ongoing for quite some time,” he pointed out.
The old man described the Devolution of Estate Act as one that had failed to take into consideration the special ownership of properties either by a male or female child even when it is in conflict with traditional rules. “Before God, all human beings are equal and dignified with rights to enjoy and I think the gender law takes all of this into consideration and we have learnt that if our women are empowered we the men will live longer than before with shared responsibilities with women,” he preached.
Catherine Zainab Tarawally Director of CAHSec said they as Civil Society and Women’s Rights Advocators have made lots of presentations on the need to further popularize the Act and to at least allow the FSU investigate the Estate aspect of the act because reality shows that women contribute far more than men when building a house and in the acquisition of proprieties.
*This article was sponsored by Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR).
Wednesday July 20, 2016
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