Masters Dissertation

This research investigates how lack of access, control and ownership of communal land affects rural Zimbabwean women upon divorce and separation. The case study of women in GutuMupandawana reveals how communal land in rural Zimbabwe is governed and controlled by men within a strongly patriarchal society supported by customary laws and practices which only allow […]

Chiramu is a Shona cultural practice that entails the breaking down of barriers between in-laws of the opposite sex. That is, they are ‘allowed’ through this practice to talk and joke about any subject under the sun with the older male in-laws giving advice to the younger female in-laws on men and their own relationships […]

The study interrogated the land rights of returning daughters in communal areas. The study was carried out in Madamombe village in Seke, Zimbabwe. Data was collected from individuals, small groups of people, gate keepers and key informants. There were various interviews carried out at selected homesteads. Interviews with different groups and individuals were also carried […]

Conducted by a public prosecutor, this ground-breaking research critically analyses the extent to which the Zimbabwe Public Police (ZRP) meets the local and international standards governing the treatment of the small population of unconvicted women suspects detained in the holding cells of several police stations situated in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city. Originally built for men, […]

This dissertation focuses on access to sources of energy for rural women in light of the Communal Land Forest Produce Act (Chapter 19:04). This research seeks to bring out the challenges that women are facing with regards to accessing sources of energy and their interaction with the law. Currently the rural population relies heavily relies […]

The impact of terrorism and counter-terrorism in Kenya cannot be understated. In the wake of Al-Shabaab-related terrorist attacks in the country, Kenya initiated the implementation of a counter-terrorism operation dubbed ‘Operation Usalama Watch’. The operation, hinged on their supposed ethnic affiliation to the Al-Shabaab membership, essentially involved the indiscriminate arrest and detention of Muslim individuals […]

As a signatory to several regional and international Human Rights instruments, the Tanzanian Government has gone some way in its Constitution and domestic laws to protect and promote the right to work of disabled women within its Public Civil Service and the rights of those who intend to join the Service. This dissertation reveals, however, […]

Malawi passed the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA) in 2006 with the objective of eliminating domestic violence and providing effective legal remedies to victims of domestic violence. One of the remedies provided for in the Act is protection orders. Although the law is available for use by victims, they have found that accessing and […]

Women’s participation in politics is now regarded as an important measure of their status in any country. The study was about women’s participation in politics in view of the 50/50 debate. The study sought to examine the systemic and structural barriers that contribute to low participation in politics for women at all levels from local […]