Women’s inheritance rights initiative

The Washington-based International Human Rights Law Group (IHRLG)is holding a ‘West African Day of Action’ on 28 August to draw the international community’s attention to ways in which weak laws and some customs and traditional practices are used to deny women their rights, particularly to inheritance. The ‘West African Day of Action’ is an annual event and this is the third one the IHRLG has held. It will draw particular attention to HIV/AIDS and will include media events, roundtable meetings, marches and preparation of draft legislation, the IHRLG said in a statement on Tuesday. A key event will be the launch of the third letter campaign “focusing on urging the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to pay particular attention to women’s inheritance rights in its efforts to develop and implement a comprehensive and expanded response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa”, the statement said. 11 African countries are set to participate in this year’s event. In Nigeria, where the organisation has an office, an information-gathering mission will hear testimonies from women who have endured violence, marginalisation and poverty.