Women in Chad Seek Right to Own, Control Land

When Milla Nemoudji divorced her husband following years of physical abuse, she found herself without a way to earn a living. The 28-year-old lived in a village in southern Chad. Though she grew up in a farming family, she struggled to earn money in a community where men usually control access to land.

Divorce is rare in Chad, and she received little support. She sold fruits and other goods. And in the rainy season, she worked in fields as a laborer.

Last year, however, she joined a women's collective that arrived in her village, Binmar. The village is just outside of Chad's second-largest city, Moundou.

The collective gave Nemoudji access to land. It also gave her the ability to make decisions on its use. She farmed cotton, peanuts and sesame and earned enough money to pay for basic needs.

The struggle for land rights comes from Chad's dual legal system. Recent government laws give any citizen the right to own land. But in rural areas, people follow customary law instead of the modern government's law. And village chiefs control who can use land.

The village chiefs require yearly payments. Women in these villages often cannot own or inherit land. That leaves them dependent on male family members. It also limits their chance to have more influence in their society. And it gives them fewer choices when they are the victims of domestic violence.

Nemoudji told reporters with the Associated Press, "There's no one to come to your aid, although everyone knows that you are suffering.”

She added, "If women weren't losing access to farmlands, they would dare to leave their husbands earlier."

Collective land use

Adèle Noudjilembaye founded N-Bio Solutions, the collective Nemoudji joined, in 2018. It is a rare program in Chad that negotiates on behalf of women with traditional chiefs. The chiefs connect the collective to local people with available land they are willing to lease.

Noudjilembaye runs five collectives so far, and each has around 25 members.

These efforts are slowly gaining popularity. But Noudjilembaye said that some women who face domestic violence do not leave their situation “because of financial dependency, fear of societal judgement or lack of support.”

In Chad, life is difficult for women who attempt to assert their rights.

"The system failed me when I sought help after my husband burned down my house," Nemoudji said. When she reported the incident to the village chief, "nothing was done to solve my dispute."

Despite the lack of support from village leaders and local officials, Nemoudji and other women in Binmar have found strength in the collective.

Marie Depaque is another village woman who struggled financially after her second husband refused to support her children from her first marriage. She said, "Our fight for land rights is not just about economic survival but also about justice, equality and the hope for a better future."

Nemoudji dreams of better educational opportunities for the children in her community so they can break the cycle of poverty and violence. She works in the community for changes in the land ownership system.

"Knowing my rights means I can seek help from authorities and demand justice," she said.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Robert Bociaga reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

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divorce – v. to legally end your marriage with (your husband or wife)

access – n. a way of being able to use or get something

inherit – v. to receive (money, property, etc.) from someone when that person dies

domestic violence – n. violent or aggressive behavior within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner.

lease – v. to create a legal agreement that lets someone use a car, house, or land for a period of time in return for payment

assert – v. to state (something) in a strong and definite way

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

authorities – n. (pl.) people who have power to make decisions and enforce rules and laws