According to the UN, today there are more than 250 million women worldwide who have lost their husbands. Most often, local and state power does not care about the fate of widows, civil organizations do not pay proper attention to them.
And, along with this, in many countries there is a cruel attitude towards widows and even their children . Worldwide, about 115 million widows live below the poverty line. They are subjected to violence and discrimination, their health is undermined, many of them do not even have a roof over their heads.
In some countries, a woman has the same status as her husband. And in the event of his death, the widow loses everything, including access to the inheritance and the possibility of social protection. A woman who has lost her husband in such countries can not be considered a full member of society.
When is the international day of widows celebrated?
Realizing the need to pay attention to widows of any age living in very different regions and in different cultural environments, the UN General Assembly decided at the end of 2010 to establish the International Widow's Day, and it was decided annually on 23 June .
For the first time, the Day of Widows began to be held in 2011. The UN Secretary General, speaking on this issue, noted that widows should enjoy all the rights on an equal footing with the rest of the members of our world community. He urged all governments to pay more attention to women who have lost husbands and their children.
On the International Day of Widows in Russia, as well as in other countries of the world, discussions and information events are held, to which well-known human rights activists and lawyers are invited. The purpose of these meetings is to increase the awareness of our entire society about the situation of widows, as well as their children. On this day, many charitable foundations are raising money in favor of dowager women in need of support.