The Rights of Rural Women Under the International Human Rights Law

This paper examines the protection and promotion of the rights of rural women within the framework of international human rights law. Rural women play a vital role in agriculture, family welfare, and community development, yet they remain among the most marginalized and disadvantaged groups globally. The paper identifies key international and regional instruments safeguarding their rights, with emphasis on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), particularly Article 14, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Maputo Protocol, and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Drawing from field experiences in Nigeria; including observations from Wula, Cross River State, and a northern Nigerian community; this work reveals a persistent gap between legal guarantees and the lived realities of rural women. Major implementation challenges highlighted include gender-based discrimination, poor infrastructure, limited access to services, and entrenched cultural norms. The paper concludes by urging state actors to domesticate and meaningfully implement these legal instruments, invest in rural development, and ensure political will in advancing the rights and well-being of rural women.

Introduction

Without rural women, rural communities would not function. Yet women often face a lack of access to quality education, healthcare, land ownership, clean water, and basic infrastructure, and to be hit hardest by climate change. On almost every measure of development, rural women, because of gender inequalities and discrimination, fare worse than rural men. Rural women are essential contributors to agriculture, family life, and community development, yet they remain among the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups globally. The international human rights framework recognizes the vulnerability of rural women and provides specific protections to ensure their equality, dignity, and full participation in society.

Instruments Protecting the Rights of Rural Women

There are several international instruments for the protection of the rights of rural women, however, the major instruments is the convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This instrument and other instruments will be discussed below.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1978)

(CEDAW) provides the most comprehensive and direct protection for rural women. Article 14(2) states:

“States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in rural areas in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, that they participate in and benefit from rural development and, in particular, shall ensure to such women the right:

(a) To participate in the elaboration and implementation of development planning at all levels;

(b) To have access to adequate health care facilities, including information, counselling and services in family planning;

(c) To benefit directly from social security programmes;

(d) To obtain all types of training and education, formal and non-formal…

(e) To organize self-help groups and co-operatives… 

(f) To participate in all community activities;

(g) To have access to agricultural credit and loans, marketing facilities…

(h) To enjoy adequate living conditions, particularly in relation to housing, sanitation, electricity and water supply, transport and communications.”

During a visit last year December 2024 to Wula community in Boki Local Government Area, Cross River State, I observed a stark reality that highlights the violation of Article 14(2)(h). The community has no electricity, with residents relying solely on solar energy, which many cannot afford. The road network is deplorable, even in the dry season, and the rainy season worsens it. Clean water is scarce, with some women depending on stream water. These conditions undermine rural women’s rights to health, safety, economic empowerment, and education. The Cross River State Government has an urgent responsibility to address these infrastructural and developmental gaps in compliance with CEDAW.

Also, during a class on the rights of women, Prof. Michael Ibanga shared an experience from a visit to a northern Nigerian state. While sitting on a balcony one day, he observed “only women going to the farm”, unaided by men. Upon inquiry, he was told that it is “the right of women” to do the farm work and bring food home to the men. This cultural practice highlights a deep-rooted gender inequality where physical labour and agricultural responsibilities are disproportionately placed on women, reinforcing systemic discrimination, contrary to international human rights norms.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948

Article 1: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Article 25(1): “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services” (rural women are not excluded). 

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) 1966

Article 11(1): “The States Parties recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living; including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions”.

Article 12(1): “The States Parties recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health” (including rural women).

Maputo Protocol (Africa)

Article 19: provides for Right to Sustainable Development.

Women shall have the right to fully enjoy their right to sustainable development. In this connection, the States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to:

a) introduce the gender perspective in the national development planning procedures;

b) ensure participation of women at all levels in the conceptualisation, decision-making, implementation and evaluation of development policies and programmes;

c) promote women’s access to and control over productive resources such as land and guarantee their right to property;

d) promote women’s access to credit, training, skills development and extension services at rural and urban levels in order to provide women with a higher quality of life and reduce the level of poverty among women;

e) take into account indicators of human development specifically relating to women in the elaboration of development policies and programmes; and

f) ensure that the negative effects of globalisation and any adverse effects of the implementation of trade and economic policies and programmes are reduced to the minimum for women.”

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995)

Under Paragraph 32 and 58,  Many women, especially those in rural areas, experience poverty because they lack access to education, health care, land, credit, and other economic opportunities. Their hard work; like farming and managing households is often undervalued or unpaid. Poverty for these women doesn’t just mean low income; it also includes hunger, poor housing, limited basic services, poor health, and being excluded from decisions that affect their lives. Without education, ownership rights, or proper support, many rural women are left struggling to survive and are unable to fully participate in society or improve their conditions.

Major Challenges in Implementation of the Rights of Rural Women 

UN Women on 13^th October, 2022 outlined these 3 major challenges for rural women below:

1. Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods:

In many parts of the world, agriculture serves as the backbone of rural communities and a primary income source. This is especially true in countries like Tanzania, where around 80% of women rely on small-scale farming to support themselves and their families. Similarly, in Tunisia, women make up about 70% of the agricultural labour force.

However, rural women often face challenges in gaining secure access to farmland. These challenges are being worsened by global crises such as armed conflicts and climate change. For instance, in 2022, a major shortage in fertilizer supply—mainly sourced from Ukraine and Russia—severely impacted food production. This shortage adds to ongoing problems like erratic weather and climate disruptions, which continue to threaten crop yields and food security.

2.  Deep-Rooted Gender Norms and Expectations:

Cultural traditions in many rural areas continue to place the burden of unpaid care and domestic work on women and girls. In communities across Tanzania, for example, women spend nearly four times more hours on unpaid household tasks than men, leaving them with little time for income-generating activities.

In Tunisia, women’s movement is often restricted after certain hours, and their interactions with outsiders are limited. As a result, women are frequently seen as “assistants” to men rather than as independent workers. These social expectations limit their opportunities to lead, voice concerns, or even learn about their rights.

3. Inadequate Access to Vital Services:

Rural women globally face significant barriers in accessing key services such as credit facilities, agricultural support, and markets. Gender-based discrimination, embedded in patriarchal systems, means that despite their high involvement in farming, women are often excluded from financial and institutional resources.

In Tanzania, only 12.2% of women use formal banking services, compared to 21.4% of men. Limited access to loans, crop insurance, and business capital restricts women from launching or expanding economic ventures. Additionally, gaps in financial literacy and lack of training in business management further hinder their ability to thrive economically.

Some other challenges are:

1. Cultural and traditional discrimination
2. Weak enforcement of laws
3. Limited access to legal information
4. Poor infrastructure and government neglect.

Conclusion

International human rights law clearly protects the rights of rural women, particularly through instruments like Article 14 of CEDAW, the ICESCR, and the Maputo Protocol. However, both life experiences, like those in Wula, Cross River State, and Prof. Ibanga’s account from Northern Nigeria, reveal the gap between law and reality. Governments must not only domesticate these instruments but also implement them meaningfully, invest in rural development: improving infrastructure, providing clean water and electricity, and ensuring access to healthcare and education; to uphold the dignity and rights of rural women. Real progress will only occur when legal commitments are matched with political will and concrete implementation.

Women’s rights are human rights. But in these troubled times, as our world becomes more unpredictable and chaotic, the rights of women and girls are being reduced, restricted and reversed. Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realize their full potential.

References

 UN General Assembly: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), 18 December 1979, United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 1249, p. 13.

UN General Assembly: Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), 10 December 1948.

UN General Assembly: International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), 16 December 1966, United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 993, p. 3.

African Union: Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), 11 July 2003.

UN, Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, 15 September 1995.

UN Women: Challenges Facing Rural Women in Agriculture: Climate Change, Socio-Cultural Barriers, and Limited Access to Services

(UN Women, 13^th October 2023) https://www.google.com/url?sa=jR

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About Author

Unaeze Uzochukwu Chinazaekpere is a 500l law student in the University of Calabar, Calabar Cross River State. He is a native of Eziala Nguru in Aboh Mbaise LGA, Imo State. He has interest in International Human Rights Law. He is also a human rights activist.