Posted On: 2023-06-23 12:22:01
The loss of your significant other can be a heavy one. The emotional wounds might be invisible to the naked eye, but it is a wound which never heals.
Even though the misery of widows is universal, India is a special case where widows have to shed every positive aspect of their lives. They are not allowed to wear ornaments, or even eat certain foods. Widows are even expected to live a life of social isolation.
Even though the Widow Remarriage Act and Hindu Succession Act were passed in 1856 and 1956 respectively, very little has been done to improve their conditions. Even today, Widowhood customs are still prevalent in certain sections of society.
The question that needs to be asked is, do they deserve such a plight? Why do women need to be punished and held by the shackles of tradition, even in the age of modernity and feminism?
Hence it has become of the utmost importance to celebrate International Widows’ Day, especially in India. So, we can break the bonds of custom and allow women to be free.
United Nations has marked 23rd June as International Widows’ Day, to address the poverty and injustice faced by widows and their dependants in many countries.
So on International Widows’ Day, we would like to take this opportunity to discuss how we can improve the conditions of widows in India.
The primary step is to destroy the customs and traditions that have caged widows. Women should be allowed to live their lives freely, even after the demise of their husbands. The archaic shackles make them financially dependent and more likely to be abused by their in-laws. Allowing women to break free from this primitivism, would give them a chance to live a dignified life.
Second, financial support should be given to women to help them to raise their children. Many widows have to live a life of poverty because when they lose their husbands, they lose their sole source of bread and butter. Financial support from the government and NGOs will help widows to give education to their children and raise them into moral citizens.
As a common man, you can also extend your support to widows in your vicinity. Helping them to enrol in training centres to learn useful skills will prove to be a huge boon for them, as they would be able to seek employment, and in turn, gain financial independence.
The last thing you can do for widows is to help them get mental health support. Widows after losing their husbands are left completely dependent. The shame and stigma associated with them are just salts in their wounds. Helping them to access mental health professionals would lessen their emotional turmoil, and help them to heal.
Filaantro raises funds for widows’ shelter homes. You can even start a fundraiser for the education of a widow’s children. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Please share this with all your friends and family members.
AUTHOR: Adil Sayyad
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