International Widows Day 2023; June 23rd.

FORUM: "Let's work to ensure that widows of all ages, whatever their religion, ethnicity, caste, class, or nationality, are protected from discrimination, violence and poverty – thus enabling them to enjoy their full human rights as equal and valuable members of society." International Widows’ Day 2023. 

EVENTS: The UN-Women, the UNFPA, the OHCHR, the Civil society organizations and Non-governmental organizations will held a webinar on June 23rd to mark the International Widows’ Day 2023.

FACTS AND FIGURES

By 2015 at least 38 million widows globally were living in extreme poverty.

This number is now hugely increased by armed conflicts, migration, violent extremism, natural disasters, and epidemics of disease now including Covid-19. Widows suffering marginalisation and deprivation of assets may resort to begging, child labour, withdrawal of children from education, early or enforced marriage of children and prostitution – creating a cycle of disadvantage and poverty within future generations that threatens progress with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Widows are among the most vulnerable in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Sexual and gender-based violence towards widows, frequently exacerbated by religious and ethnic discrimination, is widespread in such situations and tends to persist even after conflict has ended. Frequently lacking death certificates or any information on their partners’ whereabouts, ‘half widows’ (partners of the missing or forcibly disappeared) are often unable to access pensions or compensation, to claim any rightful inheritance, or remarry.

Millions of widows suffer widespread stigma, discrimination and abuse.

In many countries widows are seen as a burden on society or even ‘ill-omened’, with consequent exclusion and abuse carried out by their own families and communities. Widows often suffer traditional prohibitions on dress, diet and social mobility, and can be subjected to ‘widow inheritance’ in which a widow is forcibly ‘passed on’ to a designated male such as her deceased husband’s brother. Even worse are the harmful traditional practices (HTPs) such as ritual ‘sexual cleansing’, where a widow is made to have unprotected sex with a male relation or even a non-relative.

NEWS: To address the urgent social needs of widows', the UN Women provides empowerment courses targeting vulnerable women with funding support.

- Breaking stereotypes and empowering widows in Iraq - UN WOMEN.

- How UNFPA helps elderly Venezuelan migrants and refugees envision their future in Brazil?