Women’s changing role in South Sudan [Part 4]: Obstacle inheritance laws

Women’s changing role in South Sudan:

[Part 1]: Obstacle customary law
[Part 2]: Obstacle high risk pregnancies
[Part 3]: Empowering through craftsInheritance in South Sudan is still largely regulated by customary practices, which in most tribes, deprive widows from owning any property left by their late husbands.

The South Sudan transitional constitution states that women shall have the right to own property and share in the estate of their deceased husbands together with any surviving legal heirs of the deceased”. These provisions however are rarely observed, leaving women alone facing great economic and social challenges.

It is hoped that the permeant constitution, currently in its drafting phase, will include clearer provisions, allowing women to claim what is rightfully theirs.

This report is the fourth part in a series about women, the challenges they face and their changing role in South Sudanese society.

Marvis Birungi reports from Juba: