The project has been implemented by the International Center for Research on Women and ISDS from 2014 to 2018.
USAID/Vietnam Deputy Mission Director Craig Hart, and ISDS Director Dr. Khuat Thu Hong opened the event. It was attended by representatives from District Peoples’ Committees, the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs from Long An province, Provincial Legal Aid Centers, and members of mass organizations.
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Representatives of the communes receiving the certificates recognizing their contributions to the project's success |
While a legal framework for women’s land ownership in Vietnam exists, it is often hindered by both men’s and women’s general lack of awareness of Vietnam’s property rights laws and lack of resources to enforce women’s property rights at the provincial level. As a result, women’s access to land rights was limited. To address this, the USAID LAW project combined commune-level legal rights counseling and education with advocacy efforts to empower farmers, especially women, to exercise their rights to land. The project worked with mass organizations and 106 Community Volunteers for Gender Equality Advocacy (CVGEA) in eight communes (Duong Quang, Long Son, Nhan Hoa, Tan An, Hau Thanh Dong, Nhat Quang, Nhon Ninh, and Phan Sao Nam) of Hung Yen and Long An Provinces.
Over the four years of the project, Community Volunteers conducted land rights awareness-raising activities as well as provided legal counseling to individuals, mitigated land disputes, and offered referrals to navigate the existing legal structures. By the end of September 2018, Community Volunteers advised nearly 12,000 clients on land rights issues, resulting in more than 3,300 resolved land-related cases, of which approximately 95 percent were in favor of the clients. Because of these efforts, more women were able to inherit land and were listed on the Land Use Rights Certificates. Both men and women who participated in the project showed changed attitudes about women’s equal access to social, political, and economic resources and opportunities.
Chung Anh