Today is International Widows Day. It is a day ratified by the United Nations to address the “poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries”.
International Widows day was established by The Loomba Foundation to raise awareness of the issue of widowhood. The declaration coincides with the day in 1954 that Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, mother of the foundation’s founder, Lord Loomba, became a widow.
The day was first celebrated internationally in 2005 and was launched by Lord Loomba and the foundation’s president, Cherie Blair.
By the sixth International Widows Day in 2010, events were held in Rwanda, Sri Lanka, the United States, the UK, Nepal, Syria, Kenya, India, Bangladesh and South Africa.
On 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted 23 June as International Widows Day, endorsing by unanimous acclaim a proposal introduced by President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon.
As well as formally recognizing 23 June as a day of observance, the accompanying resolution called upon “Member States, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations to give special attention to the situation of widows and their children.”
Anaedoonline.com reported that Wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has assured widows in the State of the Akeredolu administration’s commitment to providing a better livelihood and ensuring they benefit from other dividends of democracy.
Akeredolu, who stated this in Akure, said the International Widows Day, celebrated every 23rd June, is a global awareness day set aside by the United Nations in 2010 to raise awareness about the violation of widows rights in many countries.
While calling on every stakeholder, particularly women advocate groups to support and defend women who have lost their husband and their dependents in their domains, the First Lady described widows’ pain as “unique and volatile”, stressing that “they must be encouraged and motivated in all ramifications.”
Mrs Betty Akeredolu who empathized with women who have lost their husbands described the plights of some of them as palpable, adding that plans have been concluded by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to give out incentives and other needs that could “help them experience a great relief during this period of the pandemic.
This distribution would commence from Akure south and will be extended to every local government areas of Ondo state.”
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