The devastating loss of a partner usually takes a huge toll on a person’s emotional, mental and psychological wellbeing.
For too many women around the globe, this is magnified by a long-term fight for basic rights and dignity, as well as that of their children.
The theme for this year’s International Widow Day is “Invisible Women, Invisible Problems”, which intends to highlight the fact that for many societies, a woman’s identity is attached to her partner and after his death, the problems faced by her are ignored by policymakers who don’t give any special attention to the widowed woman.
The United Nations observes 23 June as International Widows Day since 2011, the day was set up to draw attention to the voices and experiences of widows and to emphasise the unique support they need.
With the rise in the numbers of widows globally, United Nations estimates show that there are around 258 million widows, living in abject poverty and feeding on hand to mouth. It is, however, still surprising to discover that several widows have historically been left unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured in our societies.
Today, with so many armed conflicts, displacements and migration, plus the COVID-19 pandemic that has been ravaging our society, tens of thousands of women have been widowed, with many others having partners that are missing.
The unique needs and challenges those widows have in fending for themselves and offsprings must be brought to the forefront, it is also time that the voices of widows in our societies get heard.
Researchers have compiled some experiences from past pandemics, like HIV/AIDS and Ebola, which has claimed the lives of millions worldwide, the research also shows that widows not only get emotionally brutalised but are oftentimes denied any inheritance rights.
Widows in some African settings get their properties forcefully snatched away by their in-laws after the death of their husbands, to add to this, widows face extreme societal stigma and discrimination.
Worldwide, women are much less likely to have access to old-age pensions than men, so the death of a spouse can lead to destitution for a woman, both young and old.
However, in the context of lockdowns and economic closures, widows may not have access to bank accounts and pensions to pay for healthcare, feeding, accommodation, children school expenses and other logistics that may come up.
It has been observed that over time in society, lone-mother families and single older women are particularly vulnerable to poverty, this becomes an area that society needs to pay urgent attention to.
Now more than ever, this day is an opportunity for action to be taken towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows.
It most importantly includes providing widows with useful information or easy access to fair access of their inheritance, like land, houses, and other productive resources i.e., pensions.
Social protection should not be based on marital status alone, a woman doesn’t need to be married or have a living partner before she gets the desired respect and recognition from her society.
Decent jobs with equal pay, education and training opportunities should be made available to widows without any discrimination whatsoever.
Furthermore, government, humanitarian organisations, women associations and other relevant institutions should set up programs that will empower widows to be self-sufficient, so that they can support themselves and their families.
It is also imperative to orient the society and to address all the social stigmas that are meted against widows, the creation of exclusion, and discriminatory or harmful practices should be eliminated.
Even though national laws exist to protect the rights of widows, weaknesses in the judicial systems of many States compromise how widows’ rights are defended.
Lack of awareness and discrimination by judicial officials can cause widows to avoid turning to the law to seek justice for themselves and their children.
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