To protect women and uproot patriarchy means confronting the links between land and gender-based violence

This article is about researchers and practitioners in the land sector who are inspired by the possibility of strengthening women’s land rights as a way to empower women socially and economically. The researchers say one such potential benefit concerns the ways in which land rights may protect women from domestic or gender-based violence – a relevant topic as the global community observes the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. 

According to the World Health Organization, about 700 million women worldwide have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or sexual violence during their lifetime. Some 137 women are killed by a family member each day. Almost 4 in 10 murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner. Interventions to strengthen women's land and property rights affect power relations, and the effects of such interventions need to be well understood. 

Abstract based directly on source.