Gender equality is essential for the
achievement of human rights for all. Women are
entitled to live with dignity and must enjoy the
rights to equal protection by the law. The Judiciary
remain the guardian of human rights and freedoms.
The paper analyses the enforcement, by the
judiciary, the women’ property rights on the proof
of gender equality and written law in Rwanda
where the customary system treated a woman like
second class citizen; it evaluates the implication of
these judgements in fight against women in
Rwanda. The recently decisions of Supreme Court
have declared the customary laws and practices
which deny women inheritance rights as
unconstitutional, have also developed some
protection of women involved in customary
marriage. This is particularly important, because
these decisions have provided further
interpretation and clarification for the actual
enforcement and execution of women’ property
rights. This contribution commends socio-policing,
legislative enactment and court based advocacy in
these cases for the protection of women’s rights in
Rwanda. It therefore calls for judicial activism in
the protection of women’s rights.