Widowhood is a calamity in Women life and Widow Empowerment is the actual Panacea. Read this article to know how to empower widow through right provision and policies.
Introduction:
Widowhood is a catastrophe in a woman’s life. Abruptly it transforms the ecstasy life of a woman into a dreadful agony. In ancient society, there was a beliefs that widow’s ill luck is the only cause of her husband’s death. Therefore they blame and punish widows for their misfortune. India was witness of such a barbaric ritual named “SATIDAHA PRATHA” where widows immolate themselves in burning fire just soon after the death of their husband. Though in present society such brutal practice has not been seen, still some sub-Saharan countries are following “Widow Cleansing” ritual which violates a woman dignity and right. Because in the 21st century modern society still the notion exist that widow’s own bad luck is responsible for her husband dismissal. Therefore the society attitude towards the widows and their children is very inimical.
As per the Global Widows Report 2015, there are an estimated 258.5 million widows globally with 584.6 million offspring. As per the study, one in 10 women of marital age is widowed. And most surprisingly a third of widows worldwide live in India or China. India with an estimated 46 million widows in 2015 has overtaken China (44.6 million) to become the country with the largest number of widows.
Widows and their Problem:
All around the globe, the widows and their children are deprived of social dignity, right and justice. Widows of marital age, suddenly after the death of her husband, are sexually assaulted by their relatives or in-laws. Those widows having children are evicted along with their children from their husband’s house and property, and left on the street. They go through extreme poverty, poor health and children’s loss of schooling. It results in forced child labor and exploitation of widow labor. Widows produced after the genocide incidents, are forced into prostitution and sexual slavery. And their children are trafficked to different part of the country for child slavery. The human rights of widows and their children are contravened.
Provisions and Policies for Empowering Widow in the Right Way:
The world has achieved a significant mark in empowering women. But still it is far behind to protect and capacitate the Widow, the weaker and needy section in the women society. There are no such strong provisions and policies for resolving the issues faced by widows such as violence, sexual exploitation, eviction from spouse property, poverty, forced labor, trafficking and social discrimination. There is no special education, employment, financial support and health welfare scheme for the widows and their children.
Below “YouAware” suggested some major ways in which we can privilege widows and their children.
1. A Widow Empowerment policy should be introduced in all nations across the globe for empowering widows through proper education, employment, health and financial support.
2. A Widow Protection and welfare Act should be enacted internationally. So that whenever and wherever the violence and exploitation will be seen against the widows there will be special rescue force to protect these widows, give them justice, engage them in reconciliation and rehabilitation process. There should be strong punishment for those who indulge in crime against the widows and their children.
3. Under the widow empowerment policy, in every nation, there should be a transparent registrations process for widows at the basic level of their local administration. In that registration form their education, occupation, Spouse details, dependent children and other dependency will be recorded firmly.
4. Then as per the education they should be provided with vocational training and will be deployed in the respective job sector for earning. There should be special reservation for widows in all private and government jobs starting from the basic level of local administration.
5. Those who are interested in doing some business, then they should be provided with some financial funds, in terms of loans, but with relaxation in rate of interest. And those are not educated, let them educate and simultaneously make them involve in some self earning process like stitching, farming, poultry, making toys and etc.
6. In all school, college and universities, there should be Government supported fund loans , for managing the study of students whose father passed away in the mid of study .So that after the death of the father, there will be no pressure on the child to discontinue his study. He can then repay the loan amount, once he will be employed. There should also be special provision in the public and private employment sector to privilege them.
7· Before, in some nations there was a scheme, that if husband passed away, then in his department, wife would be deployed as per her education. If wife is uneducated and aged then the child must get the job to run the family. In this scheme many of the widow’s family have been benefited and socially are protected. Now such kinds of policies are not encouraged by the government but alternatives are also not implemented.
8.There should be a special welfare scheme for the widows and their children, whose husband work in defense, intelligence and police system. For these brave widows and brave children the Government should provide free education and employment.Because those great men who are sacrificing their life, only to protect us, their sacrifice should not be end up with 1 or 2 lacks compensation.
Conclusion:
The United Nation declared 23rd June as the International Widows Day to address ”the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents”,in many countries. So all the nations around the globe should come up to empower the widows and provide them equal social dignity, right and justice. India, being the topmost country in widows list should take necessary actions for the well being of widows and their children both in the center and state level.
The contribution of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in abolition of “Satidaha Pratha” and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s helping hand in “Widows Remarriage Act” has saved thousands of widows and their children life. Today also the World is waiting for such great social reformers who will again come to protect the rights of widows and empower the widows.
So being a human, just start our small help to empower widows and their children in a door very next to us. When the society will move in a positive direction then the dream of “Widow Empowerment” will be realized very soon.
If you like the provisions and Policies suggested by us to empower widows then share it. And also if you have any additional points in your mind to empower widows then please write to us at youaware72 @gmail.com.
Widow Empowerment is the absolute need of this time as globally number of widows is rising in the pandemic situation.