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IJM Study Reveals High Prevalence of Property Grabbing in Uganda
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Friday, 26 September 2008

KAMPALA, UGANDA – This summer, IJM Uganda completed an extensive survey in a five sub-county area of Mukono County, Uganda, to determine the severity of property grabbing in the region. The study’s findings indicate that illegal property seizure remains a serious problem in the area, despite laws designed to protect widows and orphans from this crime.

In a three-year period from 2005 to 2007, 30% of widows and orphans surveyed in the project area indicated that they had been victimized by property grabbing following the death of a parent or spouse.

At A Glance
In IJM’s extensive survey of five sub-counties of Mokono County, Uganda:

• 30% of orphans and widows indicated that they had been victimized by property grabbing

• 28% of these victims were threatened with violence

• 39% of victims reported the crime to a local authority

• More than 70% of respondents knew that widows and orphans should be able to retain ownership of property after the death of a spouse or father.
A violent crime
Of those who indicated that they had been victimized by property grabbing in IJM’s study, 28% of victims were threatened with violence and 26% percent were forcibly thrown out of their homes. Seventy-one percent of this group of respondents live on income of less than US $1 a day – the devastation of the loss of property compounds their already fragile financial state.

The Ugandan Constitution and laws protect widows and orphans’ rights to property following the death of their spouse or parent. In fact, more than 70% of survey respondents knew that widows and orphans should be allowed to stay in their home after the death of a spouse or parent, suggesting that simple ignorance of the law is not the primary reason that this abuse is so common. Tellingly, only 39% of victims reported the crime to an authority. The most common reason given by widows for not reporting the crime was the fear of physical harm.

Reducing vulnerability
Writing wills has the potential to reduce the vulnerability of widows and orphans when a man dies, as the wishes of the deceased are made clear. However, 92% of the public had not written a will at the time of the study, and most, 45%, said they had simply never thought of writing a will.

The results of this study underscore the importance of education in protecting vulnerable women and children from illegal property seizure. IJM has conducted casework in Uganda since 2002 and, in addition to providing direct legal assistance to victims of property seizure, the office provides trainings for community and faith groups.

Empowering communities
Participants in these trainings learn about Uganda’s laws of succession and how to create wills. Knowing that they are entitled to their own property empowers widows within their communities and in their interactions with potential perpetrators. Church and community leaders are also educated on how to reduce the vulnerability of widows and orphans. Pastors and other church leaders are trained to use funerals as an opportunity to ensure that the widows and orphans’ land rights are protected.

“We have so many suffering orphans and widows who should not be in that particular state,” explained a Church of Uganda official after attending a property rights training held by IJM Uganda. “Personally, the workshop was an eye-opener. Now when I am at funerals I have started finding out more in addition to just saying prayers. And I these days, I also encourage congregants to make wills. I look forward to more seminars and working hand in hand with you.”
 
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