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?

International Widows Day 2022; June 23rd.

 FORUM: Towards progress for widows. International Widows Day 2022.

The Day is an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows – too long invisible, uncounted and ignored.

A dearth of reliable hard data remains one of the major obstacles to developing the policies and programmes to address the poverty, violence and discrimination suffered by widows. There is a need for more research and statistics disaggregated by marital status, sex and age, in order to help reveal the incidence of widow abuse and illustrate the situation of widows.

 Furthermore, Governments should take action to uphold their commitments to ensure the rights of widows as enshrined in international law, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Even when national laws exist to protect the rights of widows, weaknesses in the judicial systems of many States compromise how widows’ rights are defended in practice and should be addressed. Lack of awareness and discrimination by judicial officials can cause widows to avoid turning to the justice system to seek reparations. 

Programmes and policies for ending violence against widows and their children, poverty alleviation, education and other support to widows of all ages also need to be undertaken, including in the context of action plans to accelerate achievement of the Global Goals.

 In post-conflict situations, widows should be brought in to participate fully in peacebuilding and reconciliation processes to ensure that they contribute to sustainable peace and security. Empowering widows through access to adequate healthcare, education, decent work, full participation in decision-making and public life, and lives free of violence and abuse, would give them a chance to build a secure life after bereavement. Importantly, creating opportunities for widows can also help to protect their children and avoid the cycle of inter-generational poverty and deprivation. 

EVENTS: Ending the world's silence on widows: Opportunities for leadership around the world.

For more information about the Global Fund for Widows’ June 21 event please visit

The event, entitled, “Ending the World’s Silence on Widows: Opportunities for Leadership around the World,” will be held on Tuesday, June 21. During the event, the speakers, comprised of policymakers and gender advocates from around the world, will discuss opportunities to mainstream widows into social policies, human rights reporting, and business practices. Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as its framework, the event aims to provide concrete and actionable recommendations across sectors in order to address the needs of widows suffering human rights violations and discrimination in certain parts of the world.

The panel will feature:

• High Commissioner Callista Mutharika, Former First Lady of Malawi and widow of former President Bingu wa Mutharika.
• The Honourable Baindu Dassama, Minister of Social Welfare of Sierra Leone
• Karen Fowler, designer and Co-Founder of Pour Les Femmes
• Ms. Heather Ibrahim-Leathers, President of the Global Fund for Widows
• and feature Mr. Vikas Khanna, Michelin-starred Chef and Global Goodwill Ambassador for Widows.

International Widows' Day 2015, June 23rd.

Международный день вдов, 23 июня.

International Widows’ Day, 23 June.

Journée internationale des veuves, 23 juin.

 Día Internacional de las Viudas, 23 de junio.

国际丧偶妇女日, 6月23日.

 يوم الأرامل الدولية، 23 يونيو

United Nations Secretary-General’s Message for the International Widow's Day 2015.

Creating a world with greater equality for generations to come is the defining challenge of our times. This is especially urgent for women, who often experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. Their age, income, ethnicity, disabilities and other factors can put women at greater risk of injustice.
Widows are particularly vulnerable. Many are aging and may not have worked outside of the home. The death of their partner can leave them in precarious living conditions, particularly in areas of conflict, natural disaster and humanitarian crisis.
International Widows’ Day is an opportunity to assert the rights of those whose bereavement is followed by exclusion, abuse or the loss of homes, livelihoods and social standing.
In societies that view women as whole only when they are married, widows are often disregarded or stigmatized. Without the economic and social protection of their husbands, many widows are treated as financial burdens by their families. They may lose their rights to inheritance and property, or even be forced out of their communities.
These human rights violations stem from the unjust view that women have diminished value. On International Widows’ Day, we reassert the equality of men and women.
The United Nations is working on specific measures that can help widows, and I urge other partners to join these efforts.
We must erase the social stigmatization and economic deprivation that confronts widows; eliminate their high risk of sexual abuse and exploitation; and remove the barriers to resources and economic opportunities that constrain their future. We also must advance widows’ equal rights to inheritance, property, land and other assets.
On International Widows’ Day, let us resolve to end discriminatory attitudes and take action to ensure that widows of all ages enjoy equal human rights, including the right to shape their own future and to participate fully in society. This will be an essential element in realizing our vision of a life of dignity for all.

Ban Ki-moon

FORUM : International Widow's Day - 23 June