Experiences of women in asserting their land rights – The case of Bugesera District.

The report presents the results of a study titled 'Experiences of Women in asserting their Land Rights: the case of Bugesera District, Rwanda'. The objectives of this study were to: identify women experiencing challenges in securing access and control over land, document their experiences in fighting for these rights, identify impediments to fair settlements of land disputes involving women and together with the women, and devise strategies to enforce and protect women's rights to land ownership as provided under the statutory law. The research was conducted in two sectors in Bugesera District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. Participants were mostly women involved in various land disputes, Mediators (Abunzi), members of the courts as well as local leaders of the study area.

The findings indicate that customary practices regarding inheritance are still widely practised in Rwanda alongside the new legislations that give equal land rights to men and women.