“Widowhood” should be the subject of the “Emerging Issue”

 CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS VIA THE MDGS. ORAL STATEMENT FROM WHR-SWG (WOMEN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SINGLE WOMENS GROUP) AND WPD (WIDOWS FOR PEACE THROUGH DEMOCRACY) AND OTHER WIDOWS’ NGOS
WE are the umbrella organisation for many widows’ NGOs and associations in developing and conflict-afflicted countries. We work for the empowerment of widows and the elimination of the discrimination and violence that many millions of them experience daily.  Widows’ voices are rarely heard. They are not even counted.
I speak on behalf of millions of widows of all ages. Their numbers, in recent decades, have grown exponentially due to armed conflicts, revolutions, sectarian violence, HIV and AIDS, and the continuation of harmful traditional practices such as child marriage. It is estimated that, in some war-afflicted countries, over 60% of all women are widows or wives of missing men, and 70% of children are dependent on such destitute women.
In spite of the fact that widowhood is one of the root causes of poverty, and the most neglected of all gender and human rights issues, existing MDG strategies have failed to address the causes and consequences of the low status of widows. The violation of their fundamental rights impacts disastrously on future generations.
It is essential that governments and the international community now focus on the particular situation of widows, and support their efforts to “band together”, so that their collective voice can be heard. Widows’ needs have to be considered if the post 2015 MDG goals have any chance of being achieved.
The poverty, marginalisation, and stigma of widowhood causes irrevocable damage to children, especially girls. One of the commonest “coping strategies” of impoverished widows is to withdraw their children from school. Daughters are the first to suffer. They are then more vulnerable to child labour, forced marriage and the potential control of traffickers.  
Widows themselves, often illiterate, are unable to access justice systems. Their lives are determined by discriminatory interpretations of religions and customs, and they are constantly denied inheritance and land rights. Begging, or near slavery in domestic, agricultural and sex work are an inherent part of their condition.
Widows, wives of the “disappeared” and their dependents dominate in refugee and IDP populations. They are often the last to be resettled due to a lack of rights to inheritance and land ownership. This absence of property rights, alongside the high incidence of “chasing-off” and “property-grabbing” in many countries must be addressed in the post 2015 MDG frameworks for implementation.  We therefore welcome reference to these issues in the Draft Agreed Conclusions. We also request all governments to agree to the Stand-Alone Goal on Gender Equality and ask that the blanket of invisibility is lifted from issues of widowhood, and that disaggregated data on “marital status” be added to the usual categories.
WIDOWS should not be seen as passive victims of gender-based violence, but recognised for their vital roles as sole carers of families, key contributors to economies, agents of change, particularly in conflict resolution and peace building situations.
We would like to see Member States supporting UN WOMEN to establish a special desk concentrating on widowhood issues, and for the UN Secretary-General to appoint a UN Special Representative on Widowhood.  

We suggest that “Widowhood” should be the subject of the “Emerging Issue” for the 60th CSW in 2016

http://www.widowsforpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ORALfinal-STATEMENT-final-FROM-WHR-with-data-disaggregated-line-1.doc