Women’s inheritance rights: Speakers underscore need for creating awareness

PESHAWAR: Representatives of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) have called for taking further steps to raise awareness on women’s inheritance rights. The demand was made during a one-day CSOs’ alliance meeting here on promoting women’s property and inheritance rights in the newly merged districts, organised by the Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) in coordination with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ombuds-person for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Secretariat.

The speakers said small initiatives can be implemented to raise awareness on women’s inheritance rights, as entailed in religion and national law.

On the occasion it was discussed that activities will include Jirga meetings with religious elders and tribal leaders, sessions with law enforcement representatives, community meetings with men and women, radio and print campaigns for awareness and facilitating women to submit cases related to property with the Ombudsperson Secretariat.

The collaborative efforts of the Ombudsperson Secretariat and CAMP will promote women’s right to inheritance in Newly Merged Districts (NMDS) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where women are deprived of their share in inheritance.

Although laws have been extended to the former tribal belt after it was ‘merged’ with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in May 2018, local ‘Rewaj’ (traditions) and lack of administrative structures hinder implementation.

The project will support civil society to raise awareness among the local population and advocate with provincial legislators and law enforcement departments for the implementation of provincial inheritance law. The project is supported by the Commonwealth Foundation.

Earlier, a MoU was also signed between the Ombudsperson Secretariat and CAMP for collaboration.

Speaking on the occasion, Rukhshanda Naz, KP Ombudsperson urged the local CSOs to spread awareness about property rights of women in the NMDs and to share cases with the Ombudsperson for processing.

She informed the participants that the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa adopted “the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act” in October 2019.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021