U.N. Marks International Widows’ Day
Since last December, when resolution 65/189 was finally approved, June 23 has been recognized as the day to pay tribute to widows. And that is the aim of the first International Widows' Day meeting, held Thursday at the United Nations. The occasion brought together a distinguished panel organized by Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, and Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, First Lady of Gabon.
The Loomba Foundation, a group that has been fighting since 1997 for widows' recognition, has finally seen its efforts come true. The president of the foundation, Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blairr, who also attended the meeting, described the situation of widows 'a compelling humanitarian crisis.'
'The UN had never mentioned widows on its Development Programme,'Blair told IPS,'But now we finally saw they took action.' The meeting highlighted the importance of addressing the plight of widows and making the world aware of their situation.
According to figures presented by Dr. Heidi Hartmann, economist and founder of Institute for Women's Policy Research, there are 245 million widows around the world, being 115 million the number of widows that live in extreme poverty. On top of that, there are more than 500 million children of widows that live in hostile environments. 1.5 million of those do not make it to the age of 5.
Even in the U.S., one of the richest nation in the world, the percentage of poor widows aged 65 and over is 18 percent. 'That's almost one fifth. That's a very, very high rate for such a rich nation,' Hartmann said.
As Bertin Babadoudou, Coordinator of the African Group Experts of the Third Committee of the General Assembly, pointed out that the case of widows is a very sensitive one. 'We really need to look at things objectively before setting up policies or programmes. However, traditions prescribe a series of behaviors for widows overtime.'
Regarding the actions that would need to be carried out, Blair told IPS about two of the major solutions: law-making and education. 'Education can be understood in two different ways. The first way is a practical education, where women and children get the skills they need to find their own way. The second is a more general education, with the transmission of values.' 'It's not about feeling sympathy for women, it's about empowering them,'Blair added.
During the meeting, Blair also stated that those women need to have the dignity to support themselves. 'At the end of the day, they are trapped in poverty because they don't have the ability to do what they really want to do...so their voices are heard in their families, community and across the world.'
Amir Dossal, President of Global Partnerships Forum, a platform to build innovative partnerships that brings together development expertise to address pressing global challenges, introduced a different kind of solution. 'Men pass on before in life, so whilst we are there as husband, we should prepare them for that...A good way to do that is by viewing them as prospective markets. In other words, see them as valuable customers,' Dossal said. That is, for him, the best way to help widows and children.
© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service