BY ABIODUN AKINLUWA
Unhealthy widowhood practices have continued despite laws put in place to mitigate it.
Today in some tribes in Nigeria, widows are still being humiliated, dehumanized under the pretext of cultural practices.
In this report, Abiodun Akinluwa examines the plight of widows.
Widowhood is a phenomenon cutting across all races with widows suffering all manners of ill treatment rooted in traditional practices that are dehumanizing.
Most often in this part of the world , widows are treated with disgust suffering social exclusion, hunger and poverty with their children.
In this condition, many had be driven to suicide having seen widowhood as a death sentence.
The children of the widows are also affected as some are faced with withdrawal from schools, abuses, especially the females.
These unpleasant experiences have renewed calls by civil right society groups on governments to develop policies and programmes to address the Widows’ plights.
Speaking on this, a human rights activist , Mrs kemi Iyantan and women rights advocate , Mrs Fatima Muraina emphasized that protecting the rights of the widows would go a long way to address some of the vices bedeviling the society.
From the religious circle , imam abolaji kazim and pastor Remi Adesunmoye, described widowhood rituals as devilish.
The chairperson of international federation of women lawyers FIDA Nigeria Ondo state branch, Mrs Catherine Ogunjebi and nawoj chairperson in Ondo state Mrs Doris Olumoko demanded action against widows sufferings.
International widows day is a global awareness day taking place annually on 23rd of June
The day was launched by the united nations in 2010 to call attention to the violation of widows rights.
It is expected that the society will restore hope of the widows in line with theme of this year’s international widows day ” sustainable solutions for widows financial independence.