By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the International Women Society has called for improved treatment of widows in the country.
The organization, which lamented that widows continue to face degrading treatment mainly due to cultural norms called for the elimination of such practices.
Speaking during the 2023 Widows Feast in Lagos during the weekend, the chairperson of the society, Banke Adeola said that harmful cultural practices continue to increase the vulnerability of widows in the country.
“Some traditions bar women from inheriting land and property, widows are forced to drink the water used to wash their husband’s corpse. This is in the belief that it will kill them if they are guilty of causing his death, or make to declare their innocence before a local deity.
“They may be forced to shave their hair, It is the most gruesome experience anyone could face.
“As widows move through their own experiences of grief, loss, or trauma after the death of a spouse, they may also face economic insecurity, discrimination, stigmatization, and harmful traditional practices.
“The stigma or outright rejection a woman who has lost her husband can face often leaves her abandoned.
“Superstition causes other women to believe they may lose their husbands if they associate with a widow, while some men fear they, too, will die,” she said.
These challenges, she said prompted the organization to establish a Widows Trust Fund which has supported about 1,500/widows in Nigeria.
“With all of this in mind, IWS established a Widows Trust Fund 24 years ago, long before the United Nations ratified International Widows Day
.“Over the last two decades, the Widows Trust Fund has been providing support and empowerment to widows all over Nigeria, offering them a path to sustainability and helping them reclaim their lives.
“To date, IWS has been able to provide financial assistance to over 1,500 widows in need,” she said.
