Pluralism in Women’s Property and Inheritance Rights – Challenges for realizing human rights in Bangladesh and India

Law is the instrument through which human rights translate into specific, enforceable norms. The essential ingredient to establish human rights is a legal framework that protects the basic rights it affords. However, it is evident that legal empowerment[1] of citizens, vis-à-vis the existence of a legal framework alone is a core pre-requisite to gain justice, especially for the vulnerable sections of society. A strong and effective legal system needs to: assess the knowledge of rights and legal processes of citizens; identify the reasons for citizens’ inability to access legal proceedings; negotiate the traditional and cultural views about those rights; and, address the associated socio-economic reasons and costs. All such requirements need an understanding of the power relationships between all relevant stakeholders and knowledge of how to engage these groups.

by Khan, Arafat