Fida Nigeria, Rivers State Branch, joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Widows Day, 2022
The Theme of this year’s celebration is Sustainable Solutions for Widow’s Financial Independence”.
The United Nations observes 23 June as an International Widows Day, to draw attention to the voices and experiences of widows and to galvanize the unique support that they need.
The loss of a partner is devastating. For many women around the world, that loss is magnified by a long-term struggle for basic needs, their human rights and dignity. They may be denied inheritance rights to the piece of land that they relied on for livelihood or evicted from their homes, forced into unwanted marriages or traumatizing widowhood rituals. They are stigmatized for life, shunned and shamed. And, many of these abuses go unnoticed, even normalized.
This year’s theme focuses on the need for sustainable financial solutions to quell the varying financial challenges widow’s face.
There are an estimated 258 million widows around the world, and nearly one in ten live in extreme poverty, there is therefore need to provide sustainable means of generating income for these widows. As women, they have specific needs, but their voices and experiences are often absent from policies that impact their survival.
FIDA Nigeria, Rivers State Branch, calls on all concerned and the Government to put up policies that will provide a platform for sustainable financial solutions and meet the financial challenges faced by widows.
Adata Bio-Briggs Esq. MICMC Chairperson
Sophia I. J. Afolayan Esq, AICMC Publicity Secretary/Editor
