Being a widow is not for the chosen few. Why do I say this? No one knows when where, how and what time life will make them lose their loved one to become widows which makes us all responsible for widows. We all need to know their rights and social protection information surrounding them.
Losing your loved one or rather a husband is something you have to deal with for a long period of time, how to start a new life in single-tone, how to manage and pick yourself up from such trauma especially if you were so much attached to this person.
It adds a lot of pressure to the widow as far as money, emotions, children’s upbringing, and work, are concerned. Others go as far as having disputes over inheritance which is most common in African countries.
“Women are taken as lesser valuable” in the society in most countries whereby they cannot fight for their rights to own property of the deceased, which exposes them to poverty.
International widows day which takes place annually on the 23rd of June celebrates every widow worldwide who is struggling to make ends meet. This day was set aside to appreciate and give them credit for not giving up in life.
Widows need support either financially, mentally, or physically. We all need to reach out to any widow on this day to just check up on them not only this day but every time in a week or a month. It is never that easy to lose someone or something you love and life just moves on.
United Nations introduced International Widows Day to highlight the voices of widows, before, the day was observed by Loomba Foundation, the foundation chose this day because the founder, Rajinder Paul Loomba’s mother Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba became a widow.
The day can be commemorated by disseminating information on access to a fair share of their inheritance, providing decent work with equal pay, pensions, as well as social protection.
BY ELYS PRISCA