On Air 1700G: The World's Widows
| 13:35 UK time, Thursday, 23 June 2011
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 23 June 2011. Listen to the programme.
Today is the first ever UN International Widows' Day. It's putting the spotlight on a particularly vulnerable population - a group of people who are rarely able to make their voices heard.
Rosaleen Cunningham posted on the HelpAge International website which looks at the way women who are widowed often face triple discrimination. They're excluded on the grounds of their gender, because of their age especially if they are widowed late in life and also by the stigma which is associated with having lost a husband and being a woman living without a man.
In many cultures, widows face a huge loss of social status. In some, they don't have inheritance rights - so they may also lose their homes and their late husband's assets. Many struggle to bring up their children. Unless they get help from extended family, some have no way of supporting themselves at all.
Today we’re doing a special programme on the issue - part of a three hour special with colleagues at 91Èȱ¬ Africa Have Your Say. We're bringing together widows from around the world to discuss their experiences and debate the issues. Some saw their husbands killed in front of them. Others lost husbands from illness. Some were supported by wider family. Others feel abandoned. Perhaps you or someone close to you has been widowed too? If you have any comments or questions, do get in touch.
