Women’s Property Rights, HIV and AIDS & Domestic Violence

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Research Findings from Two Districts in South Africa and Uganda Women's property and inheritance rights are recognised in international law and in a growing number of countries worldwide, yet women in many developing countries do not have the right to own or inherit property. At the same time, women are increasingly heading up households and are in critical need of land and property for economic security, particularly in the context of the AIDS epidemic - in fact, secure property rights are believed to be a factor in reducing women's risk of contracting HIV and in protecting them from domestic violence. To better understand the role of tenure security in protecting against, and mitigating the effects of, HIV and violence, this book explores these linkages in Amajuba, South Africa and Iganga, Uganda. Results from the qualitative study revealed that property ownership, while not easily linked to women's ability to prevent HIV infection, can nonetheless mitigate the impact of AIDS, and enhance a woman's ability to leave a violent situation. A resource for policy-makers, donors, NGO workers and academics, these findings will inform the current land reform efforts, as well as HIV/AIDS and domestic violence policy in both countries, in Africa more generally and beyond. Contributor Information Contributors to this report were from the Human Sciences Research Council, Associates for Development and International Center for Research on Women.

Section 1: Introduction
Chapter 1: Conceptual framework and literature review
Chapter 2: Research design and methods

Section 2: Research findings from Amajuba, South Africa
Chapter 3: Background to the South African site
Chapter 4: Socio-economic profiles, Amajuba
Chapter 5: Intimate partnerships and domestic violence
Chapter 6: Tenure security and property rights
Chapter 7: Domestic violence and property rights
Chapter 8: Focus group discussions
Chapter 9: Linkages and implications

Section 3: Research findings from Iganga, Uganda
Chapter 10: Background to the Ugandan site
Chapter 11: Socio-economic profiles, Iganga
Chapter 12: Property ownership and use
Chapter 13: Domestic violence and gender relations
Chapter 14: Property and HIV and AIDS
Chapter 15: Linking the findings

Section 4: Comparative analysis
Chapter 16: Comparing projects
Chapter 17: Women and property
Chapter 18: Property, HIV and AIDS, and domestic violence

Appendix 1: The in-country study research teams
Appendix 2: In-depth interview guidelines (English)
Appendix 3: Focus group discussion vignettes
References