Legal Rights and
Policy Reforms Needed for Widows
Widows’ legal rights are often disregarded. Widows are perceived as easy targets for exploitation in many countries, and destitution often follows. In many countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, widows experience significant legal issues that leave them stripped of their inheritance, their property rights and their social status. Addressing these systemic issues is vital to ensure that widows can live securely with dignity.
World Bank Policy Reforms
In seeking to mitigate the disadvantages widows experience, The World Bank lists important policy reforms that involve ownership of property, rights to inherit, the requirement for registration of customary marriages and widows’ pensions. Victoria Stanley, a World Bank land specialist, highlights how important it is to implement broad protective measures that ensure no one loses their home during times of crisis. She also calls for reform of inheritance laws and marital property regimes to facilitate more effective realization of women’s HLP (housing, land and property) rights.[1]
In some countries, great strides are being made in terms of passing laws to protect the rights of widows. In one state in Nigeria, for example, legislators passed laws in 2001 designed to prevent widows from being forced to shave their heads and being locked up with the corpse of their husband or compelled to marry a male relative of their late spouse. However, almost 20 years on, some of these practices still persist, showing how hard it is to enforce such reforms, especially in rural areas.[2]
Personal Stories of Widows Affected by Legal Issues
Stories of widows being crushed by legal troubles are heart-wrenching. In Tanzania, due to limited land rights and COVID-19 travel restrictions, one widow couldn’t stop the illegal sale of her property in another city.[3] In Brazil, Patricia Chaves, head of women’s rights charity Espaco Feminista, shares that when a man dies, widows are immediately approached at the funeral about selling their land. These tales emphasize the pressing need for legal reforms and safeguards for the protection of widows.[4]
The legal and policy obstacles encountered by widows serve as a stark indicator of the ongoing injustices in our world. However, through organizations like GFA World, we can stand in the gap, advocating for widows and fighting to bring about lasting change. By supporting GFA World’s initiatives like our Widow’s Ministry, you can play a vital role in empowering widows, giving them a voice and protecting their rights. As followers of Christ, we are called to be His hands and feet―extending His love and compassion for the oppressed of this world.
Will you help us with this critical mission to stand for widows’ legal rights and restore their dignity? Visit gfa.org to find out how you can participate in touching the lives of widows in Africa and Asia.
Learn more about widow meaning[1] Stanley, Victoria, and Prettitore, Paul. “How COVID-19 Puts Women’s Housing, Land, and Property Rights at Risk.” World Bank Blogs. Accessed July 26, 2024. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/sustainablecities/how-covid-19-puts-womens-housing-land-and-property-rights-risk.
[2] Ugwu, Dorothy I. et al. “Narratives of Childless Widows: Exploring the Lived Experiences and Well-Being of Childless Widows in Rural Nigeria.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being 15, no. 1, article 1713657. January 1, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2020.1713657.
[3] Harrisberg, Kim. “From Brazil to Kenya, Coronavirus Widows Lose Their Husbands and Then Their Land.” Reuters. May 27, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/from-brazil-to-kenya-coronavirus-widows-lose-their-husbands-and-then-their-land-idUSL8N2D85G5/.
[4] Ibid.