Strengthening Displaced Women’s Housing, Land, and Property Rights in Afghanistan

Legal security of tenure is one of the key elements of the right to adequate housing. For many Afghan women, security of tenure is only achieved through their relationship with men – their fathers, husbands, brothers, or sons. Inheritance and dower (mahr) represent two of the main opportunities for women to acquire ownership of land and housing and achieve security of tenure.

Within Shari’ah women are entitled to different inheritance portions depending on the circumstances. At the end of their relationships with men through either death or divorce, women become vulnerable to losing their possessions and security against the competing interests of dominant family members.

The scarcity of arable land in Afghanistan renders it extremely valuable and essential for economic and political power. Ownership of such land is therefore crucial for the empowerment of women’s property rights, but social and cultural attitudes and traditions in Afghanistan’s patriarchal society often mean that women are precluded from accessing such land.

Also Read: Peace Building in Afghanistan Through Settlement Regularization