Celebrating the Strength of Widows on International Widows Day

International Widows Day is observed annually on June 23 to celebrate the remarkable strength, resilience and leadership of widows worldwide.

According to the United Nations, there are more than 258 million widows worldwide and most of them have historically been left unseen and unsupported in society.

In many cases, women have been affected by armed conflicts, displacement and migration, health crises making them live miserable lives.

For many others, their partners have gone missing or disappeared and they have unique experiences and needs which need to be brought on the forefront on such a day.

In many occasions, widows have been denied inheritance rights, had their property grabbed after the death of their partner, face extreme stigma and discrimination as some have been perceived carriers of disease.

The UN highlights that women are much less likely to have access to old age pension than men, at times they may not have access to bank accounts making older widows or single older women vulnerable to poverty.

In developing countries widows face a number of problems including poverty since their access to resources isn't guaranteed, have no rights or limited rights to land ownership while some remain homeless after the death of their spouse.

In Africa, most widows become victims of physical and mental violence which includes sexual abuse while some are coerced into life- threatening traditional practices as part of burial and mourning rites.

In terms of health, poor nutrition, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health in widows may go unaddressed. In the case of HIV and AIDS, most widows have faced stigma if the disease is the cause of their husband's death while others have been inherited by persons living positively without knowledge.

Additionally, widowed women have been the most affected in conflict related situations whereby many of them, together with their children struggle in their own countries, refugee camps or counties of asylum.

On this day, widows have an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition.

This includes providing them with information on access to a fair share of their inheritance, land and productive resources.

Also pensions and social protection that are not based on their marital status alone, decent work and equal pay as well as access to education and training opportunities.

Empowering widows to support themselves and their families also means addressing social stigmas that create exclusion, and discriminatory of harmful practices.

Therefore, governments should take action to uphold their commitments to ensure the rights of widows are enshrined in the law.

Today, the theme "Empower Her: From loss to Leadership" should help alleviate the plight of vulnerable widows in the society.