As the world celebrate the 2022 International Widows Day, a non governmental organization based in Nigeria, Enemona Humanitarian Foundation, has called on government at all levels to abolish all discriminatory cultural practices against widows in the country.
The charge was contained in a statement issued by executive director, Enemona Humanitarian Foundation, Williams Illah to commemorate the 2022 International Widows Day.
The statement issued on behalf of the Foundation’s president, Gabriel Onoja, said widows in Nigeria most often than not passed through a lot of horrible and inhuman act perpetrated by their husband’s family and the society on a daily basis.
Williams Illah who wants specific actions taken against members of the society who maltreat widows and their children urged the government to be proactive in wiping the tears of widows in the society.
The foundation noted that widows are still being subjected to gruesome funeral rites such as forced ‘purification’, sexual violence, rape, shaving their heads, locking them up, denying them bath, forceful taking over of their family inheritance and other discriminatory practices against the rights of the widows.
The statement appealed to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to consider widows in its food, shelter; medical and business grant arrangements to enable them survive while mourning their husbands.
