GRASSROOTS WOMEN AND EVICTION:
MAPPING STRATEGIES FROM
CAMBODIA, INDONESIA, PHILIPPINES
AND THAILAND
WORLD BANK
2016
FIDES BAGASAO
COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS MULTIVERSITY
PAMELA RANSOM PHD
METROPOLITAN COLLEGE
THE MAPPING PROJECT
• Huairou Commission,Global Land and Housing Campaign
• Cooperation with Leaders and Organizers of Community Organizations in Asia
(LOCOA) Secretariat
• Mapping of grassroots women strategies in anti-eviction
• Focus: Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, South Korea and Thailand.
• 1,500 community members/leaders, mostly women in 60 target communities,
• Reviewed local organizing strategies when facing eviction threats and
evictions
• How they developed processes to secure tenure and shelter out of the
eviction crisis
THE MAPPING PROCESS
Ms. Kourn Oon speak in community meeting on
land Anti eviction at Chamroen Community
•
•
•
•
•
Info on the community and community organization
Background on the eviction threat
Strategies used to address the threat
Role of women in these strategies
Lessons learned
• Three regional for a and study visits held in the region 20092011
• In-depth analysis of 16 cases from each country
PROCESS PARTICIPANTS: SOUTHEAST ASIA GRASSROOTS WOMEN’S ACADEMY
2011
SAMPLE COUNTRY ANALYSIS: PHILIPPINES
Philippines: Case Study Analysis of Response Strategies
Total
Case
Studies
BeautifIcation
projects
Eviction or eviction
risk
1,000 families Barangay
Valenzuela
Legal actions or
consultation
Advocacy/Lobbying/letters
x
Protest/Rallies/Mass
Actions
Networking/Partnerships
x
Trips Relocation Sites
Dialogue with gov’t
Media
Campaigns/Education
Training
Research
Organization strengthening
or Formation
x
x
x
x
Barangay 787,
Quezon City
21,232 North,
34,367 south
N/A
Samahan
Magkapitbisig
ng Sitio Crusher
Barangay
Femida Diaz,
Cabangan
Legazpi,
Albay,
Bicol
Lebangal,
Santos City
30 famil
ies
40 fishers
500 families
N/A
x
X
x
X
x
x
x
x
x
Negotiations or political
contracts
Community Mts or planning x
Creative actions
Other
Fundraising/resource dev.
North/south
rail linkage
project
x
x
x
x
Visayas
(Cebu City)
Barangay
Carreta
285
4
x
x
5
x
4
x
5
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
8
x
x
2
4
2
4
1
5
2
x
3
x
5
3
1
1
SUMMARY FINDINGS:
FOUR PHASES OF EVICTION RESPONSE
Legal Actions
Advocacy and community mobilization
Information gathering and dissemination
Organizing and coalition building
LEGAL ACTION
• Primarily used in the Philippines
• 4 of 5 cases analyzed in that country legal action mentioned
• In Thailand, Korea, and Cambodia, no legal cases around eviction reported
• Negotiations and political contracts more prominent
• Mentioned in half of the cases mapped
• Cases illustrating women leaders heading communities efforts:
• Researching claimants’ land titles
• Working to mount legal action against claimant with help of NGO legal
groups and lawyers
LEGAL ACTION IN THE REGION
• In Thailand, Korea, and Cambodia, no legal cases around
eviction were reported
• Negotiations and political contracts more prominent
• Mentioned in half of the cases mapped
ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION
• Essential component that grassroots women leaders undertake in antieviction work.
• Various forms used:
 Organizing urban poor groups with 2/3 women members ,90%women led
 Taking lead role in dialogues with relevant officials or individuals
(mentioned in almost one third of the cases examined)
 House to house visits
 Rallies and demonstrations
 Cultural strategies (mentioned in one quarter of the cases)
INFORMATION GATHERING AND DISSEMINATION
• Women play key role
• Three types of activities part of this stage
preparing for advocacy
 In-depth information on policies
 Gathering information about options to the eviction
Awareness building activities often spearheaded by women
Door to door, dialogues or research on land titles
Research used in 1/3 of cases
ORGANIZING AND COALITION BUILDING
• All countries in the region used this strategy except Cambodia
• Only beginning in its efforts to use the method as a means to empower
communities threatened by evictions,
• Characterized by the use of the Socratic method
• evoking people’s own terms and analysis for ongoing conditions
• naming the solutions to change conditions that oppress them
• Various forms of partnerships and coalitions were the most prominent
strategy in the cases
• 10 of the 16 case studies in the five countries use this strategy
SUMMARY OF WOMEN’S STRENGTHS IN THE EVICTION
PROCESS
 Lead Role as skilled organizers
 Working to call meetings
 Going house to house to develop solidarity.
 Helping community members listen
 Instrumental as information gatherers and disseminators
 Guide communities in consideration of alternatives
 Central role as liaison in negotiations between stakeholders
 Effective peacemakers
CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN
• Limited capacity for advocacy work.
• Lack of community organizing skills
• Difficult to get the community to come together on the issue of
eviction.
• Some community members do not dare to do advocacy work
publicly.
• Women lack self-confidence.
• limited decision-making of local authorities/bias vs women in
decision making mechanism and processes
OUTCOMES FOR WOMEN
Government will only
listen to you if you show
them that you are
organized and you know
your rights --- Bing
Garcia (GWEC)
• Women prove their capacity for leadership in crises
• Counters image as “vulnerable group”
• Process promotes women’s empowerment
• Women learn new responsibilities of public leadership
• Access to shelter, secure tenure and services strengthened
• Strengthened support networks and partnerships among civil society
• NGOs, academe, professionals, architects, planners, other basic sectors
like labor, youth, etc.
• Often increased alliances with state and local authorities/ multilateral and
international institutions
SAMPLE PROCESS PARTICIPANTS
•
Indonesia
•
Urban Poor Linkage (uplink)
•
Phillpipnes
•
GROOTS Philippines-Dampa,Gwec,CO Mltiversity,Philssa,Lihok Pilipina,Bantay Banay,KSP
•
Thailand
•
Four Regions Slum Network (FRSN)
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Cambodia
•
Urban Poor Women Development (UPWD
•
Cambodia
•
Urban Poor Women Development (UPWD)
•
South Korea
•
Sundong Community : Hanegdang,Hawang and Kumho
•
Regional
•
LOCOA-Leaders and Organizers of Community Organizations in Asia
•
Post Mapping Cambodian Participants in Learning Exchanges:
•
Cambodia Housing Rights Task Force (CHRTF)
•
Community Peace Network(CPN)