Women in Chad Seek Right to Own, Control Land
2024-09-05
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1When Milla Nemoudji divorced her husband following years of physical abuse, she found herself without a way to earn a living.
2The 28-year-old lived in a village in southern Chad.
3Though she grew up in a farming family, she struggled to earn money in a community where men usually control access to land.
4Divorce is rare in Chad, and she received little support.
5She sold fruits and other goods.
6And in the rainy season, she worked in fields as a laborer.
7Last year, however, she joined a women's collective that arrived in her village, Binmar.
8The village is just outside of Chad's second-largest city, Moundou.
9The collective gave Nemoudji access to land.
10It also gave her the ability to make decisions on its use.
11She farmed cotton, peanuts and sesame and earned enough money to pay for basic needs.
12The struggle for land rights comes from Chad's dual legal system.
13Recent government laws give any citizen the right to own land.
14But in rural areas, people follow customary law instead of the modern government's law.
15And village chiefs control who can use land.
16The village chiefs require yearly payments. Women in these villages often cannot own or inherit land.
17That leaves them dependent on male family members.
18It also limits their chance to have more influence in their society.
19And it gives them fewer choices when they are the victims of domestic violence.
20Nemoudji told reporters with the Associated Press, "There's no one to come to your aid, although everyone knows that you are suffering."
21She added, "If women weren't losing access to farmlands, they would dare to leave their husbands earlier."
22Adèle Noudjilembaye founded N-Bio Solutions, the collective Nemoudji joined, in 2018.
23It is a rare program in Chad that negotiates on behalf of women with traditional chiefs.
24The chiefs connect the collective to local people with available land they are willing to lease.
25Noudjilembaye runs five collectives so far, and each has around 25 members.
26These efforts are slowly gaining popularity.
27But Noudjilembaye said that some women who face domestic violence do not leave their situation "because of financial dependency, fear of societal judgement or lack of support."
28In Chad, life is difficult for women who attempt to assert their rights.
29"The system failed me when I sought help after my husband burned down my house," Nemoudji said.
30When she reported the incident to the village chief, "nothing was done to solve my dispute."
31Despite the lack of support from village leaders and local officials, Nemoudji and other women in Binmar have found strength in the collective.
32Marie Depaque is another village woman who struggled financially after her second husband refused to support her children from her first marriage.
33She said, "Our fight for land rights is not just about economic survival but also about justice, equality and the hope for a better future."
34Nemoudji dreams of better educational opportunities for the children in her community so they can break the cycle of poverty and violence.
35She works in the community for changes in the land ownership system.
36"Knowing my rights means I can seek help from authorities and demand justice," she said.
37I'm Jill Robbins.
1When Milla Nemoudji divorced her husband following years of physical abuse, she found herself without a way to earn a living. The 28-year-old lived in a village in southern Chad. Though she grew up in a farming family, she struggled to earn money in a community where men usually control access to land. 2Divorce is rare in Chad, and she received little support. She sold fruits and other goods. And in the rainy season, she worked in fields as a laborer. 3Last year, however, she joined a women's collective that arrived in her village, Binmar. The village is just outside of Chad's second-largest city, Moundou. 4The collective gave Nemoudji access to land. It also gave her the ability to make decisions on its use. She farmed cotton, peanuts and sesame and earned enough money to pay for basic needs. 5The struggle for land rights comes from Chad's dual legal system. Recent government laws give any citizen the right to own land. But in rural areas, people follow customary law instead of the modern government's law. And village chiefs control who can use land. 6The village chiefs require yearly payments. Women in these villages often cannot own or inherit land. That leaves them dependent on male family members. It also limits their chance to have more influence in their society. And it gives them fewer choices when they are the victims of domestic violence. 7Nemoudji told reporters with the Associated Press, "There's no one to come to your aid, although everyone knows that you are suffering." 8She added, "If women weren't losing access to farmlands, they would dare to leave their husbands earlier." 9Collective land use 10Adèle Noudjilembaye founded N-Bio Solutions, the collective Nemoudji joined, in 2018. It is a rare program in Chad that negotiates on behalf of women with traditional chiefs. The chiefs connect the collective to local people with available land they are willing to lease. 11Noudjilembaye runs five collectives so far, and each has around 25 members. 12These efforts are slowly gaining popularity. But Noudjilembaye said that some women who face domestic violence do not leave their situation "because of financial dependency, fear of societal judgement or lack of support." 13In Chad, life is difficult for women who attempt to assert their rights. 14"The system failed me when I sought help after my husband burned down my house," Nemoudji said. When she reported the incident to the village chief, "nothing was done to solve my dispute." 15Despite the lack of support from village leaders and local officials, Nemoudji and other women in Binmar have found strength in the collective. 16Marie Depaque is another village woman who struggled financially after her second husband refused to support her children from her first marriage. She said, "Our fight for land rights is not just about economic survival but also about justice, equality and the hope for a better future." 17Nemoudji dreams of better educational opportunities for the children in her community so they can break the cycle of poverty and violence. She works in the community for changes in the land ownership system. 18"Knowing my rights means I can seek help from authorities and demand justice," she said. 19I'm Jill Robbins. 20Robert Bociaga reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 21______________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23divorce - v. to legally end your marriage with (your husband or wife) 24access - n. a way of being able to use or get something 25inherit - v. to receive (money, property, etc.) from someone when that person dies 26domestic violence - n. violent or aggressive behavior within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. 27lease - v. to create a legal agreement that lets someone use a car, house, or land for a period of time in return for payment 28assert - v. to state (something) in a strong and definite way 29opportunity - n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done 30authorities - n. (pl.) people who have power to make decisions and enforce rules and laws 31What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.