Margaret Owen OBE at CSW69 – Three decades of advocating for widows of all ages
Every year, women representing all corners of the world gather in New York for the annual session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
This year marked the thirtieth anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPFA) and the aim of the meeting was ‘to review and appraise implementation’ and ‘identify gaps in actions to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.’
In her ninety third year, our indomitable President and Founder, Margaret Owen OBE, travelled to New York to take part in the events and the negotiations.
Back again – still more widows of all ages
By Margaret Owen, O.B.E.
March 2025.
It was at that historic Beijing Conference in 1995 that I convened the very first international meeting on widowhood rights, and where we set up the first ever international umbrella NGO for Widows, Empowering Widows in Development (EWD), which later evolved into Widows for Peace through Democracy (WPD).
Frustrated at the Invisibility of Widows’ Human Rights
Thus, I felt it especially important to attend this CSW session to protest my deep frustration at the continuing invisibility of widows’ human rights on the CSW agenda and the failure to implement the BPFA, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Widows and Violence against Widows – the Numbers Increase Exponentially
Since 1995, despite all our efforts, which included rallying support from our own UK Delegation, there has been barely a mention of widows in the annual CSW Agreed Conclusions. Neither, to our extreme distress, were widows mentioned in the Political Declaration, though it listed several categories of the most vulnerable women that include widows – for example: older, refugee, migrant, HIV and AIDS affected, migrant and conflict afflicted.
Yet the numbers of widows and “half widows” (women whose husbands have ‘disappeared’) of all ages – all present among the Political Declaration’s listed categories – are increasing every day unprecedentedly, due to continuing armed conflicts, harmful traditional practices, the consequences of COVID, natural disasters, and the general age gap and mortality rates between married couples.
Violence against widows is also increasing exponentially, in all its diverse aspects – including the horrific non state-torture contained in widows’ mourning and burial rites, denial of inheritance and land rights, social protection and access to justice. Then there is the almost unspeakable act of conflict rape, where many of the women are widowed as well as raped.
Voices of the Grassroots Partners – Reunited
It was, as ever, inspiring to be meeting up with women from all over the world, still enthusiastically campaigning and fighting for the maintenance of their rights.
I was overjoyed to meet up again with WPD Nepalese partner Lily Thapa of the Nepal WHR/SWG – Women for Human Rights/Single Women Group.
Lily invited me to their widows meeting where she honoured me with a framed plaque thanking WPD for our work over many years.
I was excited to meet with Zipporah Adenike Oladejo, founder of our network member Widows Rejoice Mission working in Lagos, Nigera:
And likewise with with the Kenyan activist, Dianah Kamande, founder of our network member Come Together Widows and Orphans (CTWOO):
I was also delighted to meet with the Mali widow’s leader Mama Koite and her team, as well as many other inspiring women.
Evening Briefings
We convened every evening at the UK Mission to the UN for briefings, where we met with Harriet Harman – the newly appointed UK Special Envoy on Women and Girls, as well as Seema Malhotra – the UK Minister for Women and Equality.
Controversy and Misogyny
In spite of the strength and determination of the women present in New York, as well as those who joined global virtual meetings, this year’s CSW was in many ways disappointing.
The Chair of CSW Saudi Arabia was a controversial choice, given its women’s rights record.
At the Opening Ceremony on March 10th, no mention was made of how the world had changed radically and dramatically in the previous last year; or of how we no longer live in a rule based world order; that violence against women and girls (VAWG) is increasing everywhere ; that rape is a common weapon of war, and that some UN Member States are committing war crimes, targeting women and girls, with utter impunity.
And the most vulnerable to these racist and misogynist regimes, more autocratic than democratic, are the widows.
The statements made in that first day were as if everything in the world was the same as the year before.
Gulf between Official Delegates and Grassroots NGOs
I found the gulf between the words spoken by the official delegates in the UN Building and those uttered by the NGOs, especially those from the Global South, the other side of lst Avenue, wider than ever.
At meetings held by the latter – the NGOs – there was intense anger at the seeming powerlessness of the UN system to curb the push back on women’s rights.
There was fury too at the betrayal of women everywhere by countries continuing to sell arms to member states that have broken international human rights and humanitarian laws, targeting women and children in their war mongering.
I came away deeply saddened at the worsening environment for women generally and widows in particular.
Even so, I remain hugely encouraged and optimistic at the resilience, courage, strength, solidarity of women working together worldwide.
Women and Girls Living Under Occupation – Many are widows or half-widows
While I was in New York I helped to promote greater awareness of one category of women whose voices are rarely heard in New York. Those living under occupation,
My latest personal initiative is to demand that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHR) appoints a UN Special Rapporteur on Women and Girls Living Under Occupation (WAGLUO). Many of these are widows or half-widows. Their sufferings and the impact in their children is catastrophic.