Women Blamed For Harmful Wid owhood Practices

The Chief Executive Of
ficer (CEO) of Support for Mankind Development Initiative, an NGO, Mrs Mina Okoroafor, has blamed women in Rivers State for the prevalence of harmful traditional widowhood practices.
Okoroafor  told  newsmen  in Port Harcourt  that women were the violators of the law against harmful traditional widowhood practices.
Our correspondent reports that some of the harmful traditional widowhood practices include compelling a widow to shave her hairs,  keep her in filthy room and stop her from bathing, among others.
The state government had legislated against the practices, but they continued in most communities in Rivers.
According to Okoroafor, the law against harmful widowhood practices in Rivers will not work because women are still the perpetrators, going against the law that has been enacted to protect the widows.
“I have been to several funeral sessions (ceremonies) where immediately after they lowered the man, you see elderly women with razor blades, immediately shave the woman’s hair.
“And sometimes, the woman willingly submits to that tradition because she does not want to be seen as  if she is the one that killed her husband or this is a way to show that she really loved her husband.
“The law that is made to protect the women, the same women are also violating that law, because if you shave your hair, wear rags, roll on the mud, does it bring your husband back?
Okoroafor said that the practice had not changed anything no matter how the woman felt, saying that it was common among women of low income group.
“They are the ones that are subjected to such horrific conditions because of the death of their husbands.