‘245 Million Widows Live In The World’

Facts have emerged that
245 million of widows live in the world, out of which 115 million are believed to be living in abject poverty.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr Justina Jumbo, made this known while delivering her address of this year’s International Widows Day celebration in Port Harcourt.
Jumbo, who noted that the widows are not only poor, said they also suffer social stigmatization and economic deprivation as a result of their husbands’ death.
She therefore called for proper legislation of Widows’ Right as the only panacea to their plight and challenges in the society.
She averred that widows in African continent are often faced with traumatic experience at the instance of losing their husbands, adding that the inhuman treatment meted against them varies from one culture to another.
“Most of the treatments are geared towards dehumanizing their victims which is always a painful and psychological experience that can affect the individual through out her life time,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary listed swearing on the dead body of the deceased husband, making the widow to eat kola-nut placed on the dead body of the deceased as well as making the woman during the mourning period to expose her naked body outside the house both at morning and evening as part of some harmful practices meted against widows in the society.
Culture or no culture, she said that widows are humans and need fair treatment from everybody, especially the relatives of their immediate family.
She also called for the stoppage of those harmful cultural practices that are detrimental to the social well being of the womanhood in the society.
In a bid to water down suffering of the widows, she advocated for a means of livelihood for  the  widows, maintainance of cordial relationship  with their husbands and extended family members, amongst others.
She also recommended for public enlightenment campaign to educate people about the plight of widows through seminars, posters, handbills, radio,  television jingles and health talks.

King Onunwor/Igechi Ogbonda