Land restitution and women in Colombia

Henrik WiigDepartment of International studies

Norwegian Institute of Urban and Regional Research

World Bank Land and Poverty conference, session 05-04:

“Land issues in Colombia: From dispossession to restitution”

Tuesday, 24/Mar/2015: 4:30pm - 6:00pm, MC 4-800

Land conflicts throughout history

• Long history of conflicts– 1800 incidences– War of the 1000 days, 1901-03– ”The violence” 1948-58– Current violence, 1960-

• Weak central state, semi-feudal countryside– Limited implementation of laws in rural areas– Previous land reform gave way to current conflict– Paramilitary influence in congress

Land reform and restitution: separate ways

• Land restitution in Victims’ Law of 2011– Pres. Santos initiative, no FARC involvement– Land lost since 1991 to original owner(s)– Dual purpose: (i) to assist poor victims and (ii) reinstall respect for

private property• War ↔ Window of opportunity, break vicious circle

• “Integrated rural reform” as part of ongoing peace negotiations with FARC– Redistribution 10 million ha of (state) land

VL focus on women

• Differential and preferential treatment– Priority access for women at all stages of the process– Specific measures to reach women

• Women’s groups

• Outcome– Neighbors identify women’s plots– Women fear presenting claims– Women do not intend to return

• Single mothers, fear and bad memories, not farmers– Small areas covered, all applicants treated equally

Microfocalized zone – Municipality El Carmen de Bolivar

Joint ownership as redistribution of capital from men to women

Father (and mother)

Son DaugtherWife

• Inherit law states sons and daugthers have equal rights• Victimes Law’ impose joint ownership man and woman

– Last minute entry in VL without public discussion or knowledge– Still no spesific regulations to single out

• Civil code, inherit/brought remains individual• Confiscate private property to compensate structural discrimination

– Rights to unregistered land not possible to transfer– Accept informal rights for households, but not individuals

Slow process• 431 sentences (June 2014)• 834 parcels (possibly several plots in each)• 3500 individuals (51% women)• 20.877 HA land restituted (70% in any use) • 52.000 applications << 5 million displaced

– Restitution process stops after 10 years

Source: URT, by Land Observatory

URT: A 31 de diciembre de 2014, de las 9.695 solicitudes inscritas al RTDAF (72.623 applicants), se encuentran con solicitud de restitución (en demanda) 7.269 solicitudes. Se destaca que de las solicitudes con demanda, 1.922 solicitudes ya cuentan con sentencia de los jueces de restitución de tierras que corresponden a 1.625 predios, 2.875 núcleos familiares beneficiados y 86.087 hectáreas.

Survey to fill info-gap• Survey 499 displaced households early 2014

– Last large scale survey in 2009, Gov/NU– Gutierrez, Land Observatory, 5 universities– Respondent driven sampling (snowball)

• Hidden population, no good registry• Sensitive information, stigma• Initial informants given by NGO/Municipality

– Only municipalities with micro-focalized area• Heckathorn (1997,2002), representative if

– Possible connection between any displaced– No isolated groups or circular recruiting– Sufficient rounds (7)– Informant recruit new, monetary incentive + max 5– Markov process, prob x1 = f(x0) → x7 = population– Only displaced HH in Bogota and Barranquilla– Weights calculated– 86% with weights vs. 84% without fear displacement

Bogota Coast0 10 51 17 252 79 143 74 574 55 645 23 396 217 13ND 2Total 258 240

Men more land, single mothers, single men, same education

Yes No TotalYes # 203 65 268

% 40.68 13.03 53.71No # 106 125 231

% 21.24 25.05 46.29Total # 309 190 499

% 61.92 38.08 100.00

Has spouce now

Dummy for respondant having spouse before

displacement

Large share remain singles after loosing spouse

Variable Category Observations

Mean Stad, Dev

Min Max

Man HH 96 2.61 2.38 1 11Woman HH 135 4.77 2.31 1 14Couple HH 268 5.59 2.51 1 16Man HH 96 52.77 131.74 0 1000

Woman HH 135 11.03 22.41 0 143Couple HH 268 22.53 49.06 0 409

Number of HH membersTotal Area of plots

Divorce as important as death of spouse

Changed spouse

Have no spouse

Total

Missing # 0 4 4% 0.00 3.77 3.08

Natural death # 1 13 14% 4.17 12.26 10.77

Unnatural death # 5 15 20% 20.83 14.15 15.38

Lives in another place # 0 7 7% 0.00 6.60 5.38

Lives in another HH # 8 24 32% 33.33 22.64 24.62

Other # 10 43 53% 41.67 40.57 40.77

Total # 24 106 130% 100.00 100.00 100.00

Reason for losing spouse

If lost spouse

Less women intend to apply and return

Missing No applyApply back

Apply no back

Total

Man HH # 18 31 29 18 96% 18.75 32.29 30.21 18.75 100.00

Woman HH # 21 74 13 27 135% 15.56 54.81 23,55 20 100.00

Couple HH Man # 15 43 34 40 132% 13,55 32.58 25.76 30.3 100.00

Couple HH Woman # 16 60 28 32 136% 28,65 44.12 20.59 23.53 100.00

Total # 70 208 104 117 499% 42,77 41.68 20.84 23.45 100.00

Respondent - household category

Intention apply and return

Man HH Woman HH Couple HH Man

Couple HH Woman

Total

Missing # 0 0 1 3 4% 0 0 0.76 2.21 0.8

Yes # 76 96 112 107 391% 79.17 71.11 84.85 78.68 78.36

No # 20 39 19 26 104% 20.83 28.89 14.39 19.12 20.84

Total # 96 135 132 136 499% 100 100 100 100 100

Know restitution?

Respondent gender in HH Category

Similar knowledge of restitution program

More formal landownership than expected

Most important plot 88% only one plot

53% claim (some) title

Man HH Woman HH Couple HH

Total RDS total

Missing # 2 1 2 5% 2.08 0.74 0.75 1.00 2.38

Owner # 42 55 145 242% 43.75 40.74 54.1 48.5 49.62

Occupant # 10 13 18 41% 10.42 9.63 6.72 8.22 8.36

Possessor # 23 42 62 127% 23.96 31.11 23.13 25.45 22.14

Tenant # 0 1 0 1% 0 0.74 0 0.2 0.02

Other # 19 23 41 83% 19.79 17.04 15.3 16.63 17.48

Total # 96 135 268 499 499% 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Legality

Household category

Hardly any progress in restitution process

Man HH Woman HHCouple

HH TotalMissing 2 1 7 10

3.33 1.85 4.35 3.64Finished legal proceedings 2 0 0 2

3.33 0 0 0.73In legal proceedings 5 1 1 7

8.33 1.85 0.62 2.55Pending of URT 10 8 24 42

16.67 14.81 14.91 15.27Applied to URT 7 7 30 44

11.67 12.96 18.63 16.00Not started 34 37 99 170

56.67 68.52 61.49 61.82Total 60 54 161 275

100 100 100 100

State of restitution application?

HH with intention to apply

Few women will farm, many will sell

MissingLease out

Farm Relative

farm

Keep out, other

Sell Other Total

Man HH # 5 0 28 1 1 17 8 60% 8.33 0 46.67 1.67 1.67 28.33 13.33 100.00

Woman HH # 8 3 12 1 1 23 6 54% 14.81 5.56 22.22 1.85 1.85 42.59 11.11 100.00

Couple HH Man # 8 3 34 0 1 36 5 87% 9.2 3.45 39.08 0 1.15 41.38 5.75 100.00

Couple HH Woman # 8 4 26 2 1 27 6 74% 10.81 5.41 35.14 2.7 1.35 36.49 8.11 100.00

Total # 29 10 100 4 4 103 25 275% 10.55 3.64 36.36 1.45 1.45 37.45 9.09 100.00

Respondent - household category

Which plans do you have for the plot in case of being restituted?

Women fear more than men

Man HH # 78 52% 81.25 54.17

Woman HH # 119 85% 88.15 62.96

Couple HH Man # 112 71% 84.85 53.79

Couple HH Woman # 112 87% 82.35 63.97

Total # 421 295% 84.37 59.12

Res-HH catFear

EvictionFear

general

Direct threats/warning before chose to leave

Missing Fear Threat Forced TotalMan HH # 1 13 53 29 96

% 1.04 13.54 55.21 30.21 100.00Woman HH # 0 31 67 37 135

% 0 22.96 49.63 27.41 100.00Couple HH Man # 0 30 68 34 132

% 0 22.73 51.52 25.76 100.00Couple HH Woman # 1 38 64 33 136

% 0.74 27.94 47.06 24.26 100.00Total # 2 112 252 133 499

% 0.4 22.44 50.5 26.65 100.00

Res-HH catReason to leave the plot

No support for joint titling if inherited land

AloneCurrent spouse

Original spouse

Total

Man # 11 2 3 16% 68.75 12.5 18.75 100.00

Woman # 11 1 0 12% 91.67 8.33 0 100.00

Total # 22 3 3 28% 78.57 10.71 10.71 100.00

Respondent gender

Inherit resp, make claim, include

• Women go to market alone (91%)• Couple walk side by side (85%)• Women can earn more money than men (90%)• …but wives should obey husbands!

Man HH Woman HHCouple HH Man

Couple HH Woman

Total

Yes # 49 67 89 86 291% 54.44 50.38 68.99 64.18 59.88

No # 41 66 40 48 195% 45.56 49.62 31.01 35.82 40.12

Total # 90 133 129 134 486% 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Should women obey men?

Respondent - HH category

Gender culture

Women influence economic decisions – Women perceive only responsible, men joint responsability

Couple HH Man

Couple HH Woman

Couple HH Man

Couple HH Woman

Man # 27 8 21 6% 34.18 10.96 30.88 7.14

Woman # 13 51 17 50% 16.46 69.86 25.00 59.52

Couple # 37 13 23 24% 46.84 17.81 33.82 28.57

Other # 2 1 7 4% 2.53 1.37 10.29 4.76

Total # 79 73 68 84% 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Decide

Buy general Buy school math.

Conclusions• Restitution slow and difficult process

– Complicated evidence and judicial process– ’Bona-fide’ farmers evicted, more idle land

• Only some micro-focalized, coordination not possible– Prefer monetary compensation and urban life– Team does not find clear cases of return in Coast– A political compromise between full-fledged redistribution and large-scale

agriculture?• Women’s rights reasonably protected

– Access to information and participation– Court can order joint titles against standing gender ideas– Women do not want to return!