WIDOWS AND WIDOWHOOD: From Rites to Rights

Leadership Roles and Responsibilities

What’s Up?

Widows’ plight within countless communities throughout the globe is seemingly one of the most over glaring situations wherein customary practices, traditions and rites which are duly protected by national laws have at the same time severely infringed the same laws and other leader international dispositions.

• Is it right for people to claim cultural rights wherein some fundamental human rights principles are severely violated?  

Protecting the customs of the local or traditional people forms the existential essence and rich diversity of such peoples. However, when these customs become very discriminatory wherein a particular sex is forced to undergo inhumane practices in order to demonstrate loyalty towards another meanwhile in a reversed case the same does not apply, a problematic is posed within the existentialist and protective rights of such customary norms and universal principles of equality with regard to ethics and mores.

• What can we do when such a problematic surfaces in order to stay in conformity with legality?
• Dot we violate one valued norm in order to protect the other or do we use the improvised intelligence of equity?

What’s Down?

In very obvious situations, the rule of law has often prevailed, the value of human life and inherent dignity happens to be the most cherished jus cogens or international peremptory norm.  The conceptualized meaning and notion of being a widow within traditional societies and being forced to undergo some or more of the mentioned examples of barbaric widowhood rites practices within the book in case study is clear prove of situations that violate the rights of the woman and her human dignity and integrity.  This means violating internationally peremptory norms over locally amendable societal mores.  Even when such locally made and adjustable customs are understood to impose adverse multiplier effects on the orphaned children of widow victims which may as well distort their community love and development zeal; it is still very amazing and shameful to watch how local law making bodies and enforcement authorities would sit back and even have or watch such illegal widowhood rites practices perpetrated within their communities and as well in their families.

1. Do we have adequate knowledge about the obligation of State parties with respect to ratified international norms and what state or government authorities have the duty to do regarding communities and individuals perpetrating barbaric widowhood rites practices?
2. When such situations are assessed can we attribute it to ignorance, to ill-intent, or simply to incompetence?
3. Is there any excuse for ignoring the law? If not can we therefore indict law making bodies and law enforcement authorities for failing to uphold their duties?
4. When public institutions fail in their duties uphold the law, are the legally instituted civil society partners aware of the opportunities they have within international dispositions to claim required support from such public bodies in order to assist implement their failed obligations?

While the brief literary piece in concern exposes some of the exemplary psychological, socioeconomic and rights-based worries that damage the well-being and inherent dignity of a victimized community widow and her orphaned children, it as well serves as a cautionary guide to public authorities in dealing with widowhood rites related issues and a facilitative medium for civil society activist towards in gaining government support for their activism  ventures to assist vulnerable community widows.

MAHSRA also indicates that it is presently undergoing a series of research works on gender equality intervention schemes and best ways for integrating pragmatic gender equality policy development and direct peace activity growth within local, national, intergovernmental, and international frameworks. And thus, is highly soliciting support from the public.

To support and/or partner with MAHSRA and still obtain a specialized copy of this document this MAIL option is very useful. 

The subject of the mail should be: Widows and Widowhood, From Rites to Rights

Direct copies are also available at: Amazon

Author’s Profile at:  Dr. Kelly NGYAH 

and Connect to Author's Linkedin

 Note:   

• By obtaining a copy of this document through the support link or email, you are directly partnering as one of the supporters/donors of MAHSRA’s Peace Initiatives. As such, you may confirm in writing to us to let us know if your name should be included and/or published within the organization’s funders’ bulletin. This list may become periodically published on the website as soon as necessary

Your comments, Recommendations and Positional Conceptions are Welcomed

Enter Discussion Forums of this work at: MAHSRA FORUMS

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THE RURAL WIDOW'S SURVIVAL, INDEPENDENCE AND EMPOWERMENT

What’s Up?

Though in several local communities the widow is forced to live under situations which can be easily categorised within servitude and modern slavery dimensions through which she is bound to face discriminatory widowhood practices and which becomes a major source that inflicts poverty on the poor woman and her orphaned children, still very limited community efforts are engaged to combat this development flaw.

• Can we say the local authorities or community people are ignorant of their silence and deeds or they are more comfortable to watch widows and innocent children suffer?

With the understanding that rural development expectations in the domain of food production depends mostly on the ceaseless efforts of rural women, these inhuman widowhood rites still deny them rights to own and possibly develop their late husbands’ property such as land.

• Can we say the men-only egoistic wills and greed to perpetrate such widowhood rites are geared to increase starvation and poverty on the weak or is it the dangerous illness of ignorance?

Times have changed, people should evolve get connected and be informed about the value of rights over rites. Gender equality and the contributive efforts of women towards sustainable development is a very pronounced agenda on a global, national and local level and thus:

• Why do we still need to protect customary values that out rightly deny the development rights of potential development agents such as rural widows?
• When such cruel practices are perpetrated within communities who are those with the responsibility to sanction the ills?

What’s Down?

Knowing very well how greedy human nature can be and which makes it very difficult to completely stop surviving relatives from scheming to reap from where they never sowed or acquiring the left-over property of a defunct man from her surviving widow and orphaned children, there is obvious need to enact enforceable legal dispositions that protects the development rights vulnerable community widows. There is also need to create and train local community based ombudspersons’ groups which are networked with a wide range of international, national and local civil society and government partners. In the process to ascertain that all the potentials and development efforts of the majority of local women who are obviously widows are engaged in expected local development orientations:

1. What is expected of the traditional rulers who rule such societies those chronic perpetrators of cruel widowhood rites?
2. What is expected of the local government authorities that govern over the people and traditional rulers within the societies that perpetrate cruel widowhood rites?
3. What is expected of partner civil society supporters of the rural woman’s development rights?
4. What sort of strategic networking and influential support needs to be given to community ombudspersons’ groups that investigate, assess, solve and report recalcitrant situations of cruel widowhood rights infringements?

The author, Dr. Kelly NGYAH, within this literary piece, strives to explain and respond to some and more of these questions especially with respect to need to sustain the development potentials and needs of vulnerable community widows. The value of the rural widow, though while facing hardship is elevated and she gains enlightening insights towards effective solutions to her subsistence worries.

MAHSRA also indicates that it is presently undergoing a series of research works on gender equality intervention schemes and best ways for integrating pragmatic gender equality policy development and direct peace activity growth within local, national, intergovernmental, and international frameworks. And thus, is highly soliciting support from the public.

To support and/or partner with MAHSRA and still obtain a specialized copy of this document this MAIL option is very useful. 

The subject of the mail should be: Widows and Widowhood, From Rites to Rights

Direct copies are also available at: Amazon

Author’s Profile at:  Dr. Kelly NGYAH 

and Connect to Author's Linkedin

 Note:   

• By obtaining a copy of this document through the support link or email, you are directly partnering as one of the supporters/donors of MAHSRA’s Peace Initiatives. As such, you may confirm in writing to us to let us know if your name should be included and/or published within the organization’s funders’ bulletin. This list may become periodically published on the website as soon as necessary

Your comments, Recommendations and Positional Conceptions are Welcomed

Enter Discussion Forums of this work at: MAHSRA FORUMS

Please You can also show support by using the sharing tools below to extend on facebook, google and more. 

Thank You for Your Support