Securing access to land and improving living conditions are essential to address the basic needs of affected populations for both the short and long-term.
However, women are disproportionately affected when it comes to exercising their HLP rights. While Cameroonian law guarantees equal access to property for men and women, the existence of discriminatory customary norms and practices prevent women from exercising their property and inheritance rights.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)’s Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) programme has carried out an assessment of HLP challenges for communities, especially women, affected by displacement across the Mayo-Tsanaga, Mayo-Sava and Logone-et-Chari divisions in the Far North of Cameroon, as part of the Safer Homes and Lands for Her (Safe4Her) initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
NRC produced a short documentary film that explores the challenges faced by refugees, internally displaced people and returnees especially women, regarding housing land and property rights, following the impact of the LCB crisis in the Far North region of Cameroon.
The video follows Blandine, Rifkatou and Aicha, who have been forced to flee their homes due to the crisis affecting the Lake Chad Basin for the past decade. They have been forced to leave behind the main source that enabled them to farm, sell and feed their families: their land.