Published: January 30, 2026
KAKATA, Margibi County – The Women’s Land Rights Task Force (WLRTF) has begun taking more intentional steps to help rural and semi-urban women and young girls understand their rights and the existing national laws that govern their ability to claim ownership of the land they are duly entitled to.
The WLRTF, with support from ActionAid Liberia and in partnership with Wand, trained 60 women and provided them with insights into policies that protect their land rights. Women Care Initiatives (WOCI), a member organization of the task force, conducted the training in two of the identified communities, raising awareness of land rights and gender safeguards.
The initiative was part of the observance of the 16 Days of Activism, an international campaign designed to raise public awareness and protect girls and women around the world from gender-based violence. The two-day training benefited residents of Peace Land Community, Mount Barclay, and Peace Community in Careysburg, rural Montserrado, with women accounting for more than 98 percent of the overall beneficiaries.
During separate training sessions in Careysburg and Mount Barclay, selected women and other community residents were taught about the Liberia Land Rights Act of 2018, with an emphasis on women’s inheritance rights, as well as statutory land laws and how these legal documents protect women against discrimination and provide them with opportunities to own and manage land. Participants were also educated about safeguarding policies and general protection issues.
During the awareness sessions, WLRTF program coordinator Joscious Ballah outlined some of the major historical inequalities women have faced for decades and continue to experience in land acquisition and management. Ballah drilled the participants on the types of land acquisition that existed long before the amendment and passage of the new land rights law, noting that the old law limited women’s access to land and discriminated against their land ownership rights.
However, Ballah noted the progress made since the passage of the 2018 Land Rights Law, which now recognizes and grants women full rights to own and manage land. She named the four types of land ownership under the new law as private, public, community, and government lands. The program coordinator also used the occasion to encourage women to always endeavor to keep copies of any land deeds they own jointly with relatives or anyone else. Doing so, she added, puts women in a better position to avoid being violated, denied, or discriminated against in land distribution and ownership claims.
“At the time of the old land rights law, women were left out, communities were left out, and even speaking of transferring land from ancestors, it was all given to men. But with this new land rights law, you, as a woman, whether educated or uneducated, can now earn land, serve as a land administrator, and do just what men can do with land,” she told participants.
She went on to further caution women, saying, “Whoever you have land acquisition with or purchase, whether your spouse, relative, or business partner, make sure to always have a photocopy of the land deed yourself. Don’t ever give it up because that is your voice and your power.” Ballah told the women across the two communities benefiting from the awareness.
During the awareness session, the executive director of Women Care Initiatives (WOCI), Madam Jenneh Paye, enlightened the participants by informing them that ‘women are equally legally recognized as full members of their communities, whether by birth or by marriage, and as such, women have the right to participate equally in land-related decision-making.” “You women have the same equal rights as men to make decisions when it comes to land ownership, because when we are talking about community members, you are part of a community and the law protects you and gives you the same equal rights,” Madam Paye told the women, adding that women should take active roles in land governance and community leadership. She encouraged the participants, particularly women, to ensure their full, individual names are explicitly listed on any joint land deed, moving away from non-specific, legally vulnerable designations.
The sessions featured interactive discussions, real-life case studies, and a question-and-answer segment during which participants raised concerns about marital property, inheritance after divorce or death, and land disputes.
Facilitators provided explanations in accordance with the provisions of the Land Rights Act.
The participants welcomed the initiative, noting that many had limited prior knowledge of their land and inheritance rights. Several women expressed their commitment to sharing the information with other women in their communities to promote broader awareness. The awareness campaign underscored the importance of land rights education as a tool for addressing gender-based violence and discrimination against women.
WLRTF and WOCI reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing community engagement to strengthen women’s land rights and promote gender equality in Liberia. The training was designed to strengthen women’s land rights and address gender-based violence under the theme: “Unite to end violence, protecting all women and children in our communities and digital spaces- land rights.”
The overall objective of the community land rights awareness was to improve women’s understanding of gender, safeguarding, and the land rights laws, including inheritance rights, statutory land laws, and protection against discrimination.
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