Rwanda: ‘Some’ household members do not provide girls with the heritage

According a research released by a research institute ILPD located in Nyanza, Southern province, a relatively big number of households do not provide girls with the heritage equivalent to the ones  given to their brothers.

The situation is generated by the fact some of the girls still ignore their rights and cannot raise their voices to advocate for it.

Daniel Ndayisaba, in charge of research in ILPD, revealed that most of women and girls have little knowledge of their rights and laws that protect them. This fact brings up some mistreatment towards women and girls committed by either their spouses or family members.

Ndayisaba added that this can be adjusted through a long term mobilization and education  so to equip women with necessary knowledge of their rights.

The research shows a difference between girls and boys in receiving heritage and other family related rights. Interestingly perhaps, the law doesn’t clearly define how issue should be dealt with, the researchers said.

Another part of  the research considered that illegally held marriages should be taken into account as to protect women from being mistreated by their husbands.

Some of them are in dangerous situations of being chased away by their husbands in difficult times such as economic crises, among others.

Ndayisaba underlined that women are part and parcel of the families and are the ones who worked hard to gain the household means of living.

45% of women from such families do not receive the heritage they deserve as wives of the dead husband.

Only a countrywide mobilization of women on their rights can be an important tool to increase their awareness on legal issues pertaining to their rights, the research stipulates.

UM– USEKE.RW