The Widows Charter
Our WIDOWS’ CHARTER provides leverage to inform and influence law reform and the drafting of new constitutions in the post-conflict transition period.
Our Mission
- Our mission is to ensure that widows have a voice at peace negotiation tables, since widows and wives of the disappeared confront specific problems vastly different from those of other women.
Some Important Statistics
- The first priority is to gather reliable statistics on the numbers of widows & wives of the disappeared, as this is essential for effective policy development. Statistics must be collected on ages, the number of children or dependents, circumstances of widowhood, social support systems (family, state, NGO), economic and health status, legal status, status under customary law, experience of violence, and “coping strategies”.
- Conventional methods of gathering data (census, household & demographic surveys) are inappropriate methodologies for countries in the aftermath of war. Widows are often homeless, or wandering between one relative’s household to another; furthermore, widows, if able to be interviewed on their own, are reluctant to divulge information to strangers.
- Support and training must be given to widows’ organisations on the ground to undertake simple surveys in a sample of cities, towns, villages and refuge/IDP camps which will reveal the realities of widows’ lives at the grassroots. These mapping & profile projects (already successfully implemented by the widows’ group in Nepal) should be developed in collaboration with the relevant government Ministries.
- This “capacity building” exercise empowers the widows enhancing their value and status, and builds up their confidence to articulate their needs and participate in decision-making at all levels.
Which Groups We Work With?
- We work with widows’ groups primarily in:
- South Asia: Afghanistan, Nepal, NE India, Bangladesh,, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
- Africa: Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Angola, DRC, Uganda,
- The Middle East: Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Iran
- Since 9/11, WPD has mostly focused on widows & wives of the missing in conflict-afflicted countries.
MODEL CHARTER FOR THE RIGHTS OF WIDOWS
A Draft Protocol for adaptation to specific country, legal, social, cultural and economic situations.
Discrimination against and abuse of WIDOWS occurs across a wide spectrum of cultures, religions, ethnic groups, regions, irrespective of the economic or education status of the women subject to this oppression
Attitudes to and treatment of widows varies from relatively mild indifference and social exclusion (prevalent in some developed countries of the West) to extreme mental, physical and sexual torture, and even to murder. In Tanzania, a HelpAged study found that in one year as many as 400 elderly women, mostly widows, were murdered or stoned to death accused of being witches. In several South Asian communities the vernacular words used for widows mean witch, sorceress, prostitute, whore. Across ethnic groups widows are systematically and routinely vilified, perceived as bringing ill omens and bad luck, and the real cause of their husbands’ deaths. Traditional practices may be not merely degrading, but life-threatening.
In the context of legal rights, whether enshrined in International Law, or in the Constitution and Domestic Law, widows are often beyond the reach of modern statutes, and may, for various reasons, be unable to access the modern justice system in their countries. In countries where parallel systems of law co-exist (religious, customary, modern), widows’ lives are mainly determined by interpretations, made by leaders of their local communities, of the former two systems. Thus, widows are often barred from inheriting from their dead husband’s estate; may be evicted from the family home; lose custody of their children to the male relatives of their deceased spouse. They may be unable to own or dispose of land, and be subject to horrific, degrading and life-threatening traditional practices.
In spite of the many ratifications to the CEDAW, the consensus of the Beijing Platform for Action, the widespread support for the Elimination of Violence to Women, and the endorsement by governments of the SCR 1325, widows continue to be excluded from the progress made in raising the status of millions of the World’s Women.
Not only are they denied their basic human rights, civil, political, social and economic, but their crucial roles in society, in development, in peace building, as sole supporters of their families has not been recognised. There is a dearth of statistical data and little situational analysis of their day-to-day struggles to survive.
But change is on the way as widows begin to organise themselves to be agents of CHANGE, lobby for law reforms, are represented in decision-making, and begin to be counted and heard.
The Charter for WIDOWS’ RIGHTS demands the elimination of all discrimination against widows, both within the family and in community and public life. Non-state actors – such as family members – may not justify the abuse of widows on the grounds of “custom”.
As Nafis Sadik once said, famously, “ no custom or religion can ever justify the oppression of women”. We add, nor of WIDOWS.
The plight of widows of war often worsens in the aftermath of conflict, and SCR 1325 has not assisted them to have their immediate as well as long-term needs addressed. But the aftermath of war, when the numbers of widows and wives of the missing will have increased unprecedentedly, is the opportune moment for widows to organise themselves and ensure that, for example, in the drafting of new constitutions, in law and administrative reforms, widows’ issues are mainstreamed and their rights guaranteed.
This Draft draws on all the Human Rights Conventions and Charters, and particularly on the CEDAW and the Beijing Platform. It also accommodates the consensus arrived at in agreeing the MDGs and other Resolutions and Declarations.
The Articles below describe acts and attitudes which are, in most countries, already proscribed under the general principles of international laws ratified by governments. Here they are spelt out specifically.
It is hoped it will be a useful lobbying tool for widows’ groups, women’s organisations, and inform the relevant Ministries (Women, Justice, Health etc.) of the principle issues.
