424. A concerted civil society initiative propelled by the Women’s Forum resulted in a proposal on the contents of a draft Law on Domestic Violence, which was submitted to the Assembly. The Bill was not accepted due to various reasons. A member of the Assembly Committee on Social Affairs informed the CRM that there were some inconsistencies in the Bill. For example, the punishments were not commensurate with the crime, and were deemed to be either too heavy or too light; hence harmonisation was required. The Assembly also felt that violations should cover all forms of domestic violence, other than that committed solely against women, such as domestic violence against the elderly, disabled persons, children and pregnant women, hence the delay. The Bill is being redrafted to cover all social groups. Economic Rights 425. The lack of microcredit schemes and the stringent conditions attached to credit facilities being granted by banks limit women’s economic activities. Commercial banks rarely grant credit for agriculture and small enterprises in which women engage. In many cases, women are unaware of the rights and benefits for which they qualify. The CRM learnt that although some banks prioritise access to loans being given to women, most women are unaware of this. At district level, the committees determining the allocation of the 7 million meticais comprise mostly men and the interests of women are overlooked. In an effort to build women’s capacity to engage in income-generating activities, the provincial CNAM in Beira is lobbying for women’s organisations to benefit from the fund of 7 million meticais and is raising awareness among women’s groups. 426. The CRM learnt that the level of commitment to paying back loans is higher among women and the results are encouraging. When seeking to access loans, women face challenging conditions, given their high levels of illiteracy. (For example, banks require registration documents for associations.) Microfinance is difficult to access, especially on account of the unusual collateral requirements. Applicants are asked for securities, such as household appliances, and in some instances they are also required to obtain permission from their husbands as guarantors. This violates the principle of equality. Consequently, some women’s associations have organised themselves to raise credit among themselves. 427. Women’s wellbeing and economic rights in Mozambique bear a nexus to access to land, as the majority are involved in subsistence farming and sell surplus products for income. The Land Law of 1997 gave women equal formal rights to own land. In practice, however, many men leave their spouses out of land titles in the titling process. In rural communities, most women are unaware of their user rights on communal land. They are usually then relegated to mere use of the land as an extension of a male relation by birth or by marriage, and these rights may be lost upon divorce or death. 148 A P R M COU N T RY R EV IEW R EP ORT NO. 11