International Widow’s Day 2024: On June 23rd of this current year International Widows’ Day 2024 is observed as an awareness program among the public all over the world. International Widow’s Day is observed all over the universe each year on the 23rd of June to draw attention to widows' voices and experiences and galvanize the exceptional support they need. International Widows' Day was introduced to address the poverty and injustice faced by widows and their children in many countries. International Widows Day is observed on June 23 to raise awareness about the issues that widows and their children experience in various countries. By assisting widows in their time of need, the United Nations hoped to bring attention to the problem that widows face. Widows must struggle for their livelihood, basic needs, dignity, and self-respect after losing their life partner, as their husband's death may leave his family penniless.

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In India, widows were frequently accused of murdering their husbands and were even compelled to leave their husbands' households. Widows' stare was also thought to bring bad luck, and many myths held that women used witchcraft to harm their husbands. Widows were removed from the inheritance rights to the piece of land and were forced into unwanted marriages. Widows in impoverished nations are often subjected to a great deal of violence. This type of violence is very common in Africa and Asia. Widows in these nations are frequently subjected to physical and mental abuse. Widows are often compelled to participate in potentially life-threatening acts as part of their husband's funeral rites. Widows, for example, may be forced to drink the water in which their husband's body was washed.

International Widow’s Day History

• Widows had to immolate themselves on their late husband's funeral pyre before 1827. In 2005, the Loomba Foundation established International Widow's Day in honor of Loomba's mother, who became a widow on June 23, 1954.
• Women in diverse countries, according to Loomba, had to fight for their basic wants and rights. They are ignored by all organizations, and societies have cursed them for the loss of their husband.
• Finally, the United Nations General Assembly recognized it on June 23, 2010.
• Children were withdrawn from school and abused because of their father's death because of the widows. International Widow's Day encourages people to support widows' rights by emphasizing concerns such as abuse, prejudice, and poverty that women suffer.
• The main aim of International Widow’s day is to provide education to the widows’ children, provide them with healthcare facilities, and develop various resources and policies to empower widows.
• This step can lead widows to have quality in society and have equal rights and freedom. It is necessary to understand a widow’s conditions and serve equal rights as the rest of the women possess.

International Widow’s Day 2024 Theme

The theme of International Widow’s Day this current year is “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality”. The theme tends to highlight the fact that for many societies a woman’s identity is attached to her partner and after his death, the problems faced by her are ignored by policymakers who don’t give any special attention to the widowed woman. Partners are the ones who treat each other's rights as if they were their own. They share the burdens and confront the issues together. When a woman's spouse passes away, she is left alone, and her troubles become invisible to the rest of society. Widows are even stripped of their ritual privileges in different ethnic groupings.

International Widow’s Day 2024 Significance

It is critical to protect widows' rights, which are recognized in international law, and to provide them with the same rights and recognition as other human beings. Widows must be given equal rights to land and property, must not be abused or blamed for their husband's death, and must be given equal work and salary in order to eliminate discrimination against widows in society. Widows' children must be permitted to attend school and must not be abused, as established in international law. Widows may suffer as a result of a lack of information and discrimination by judicial officials, which can threaten their status and livelihood. The many Member States pledged to invest in strengthening family-oriented policies and programs at the 63rd Commission on the Status of Women in March 2019. The rallying cry was to ensure that necessary safeguards are in place to protect and support women, including their status as widows in society and their rights to their husband's land and property.

International Widow’s Day 2024 Quotes

• Life moves on and so have you. You have never broken down in the most difficult situations and that’s what makes you so special. 
• Being a woman was never easy and being a widow is even more challenging but you have so strong that you motivate us all.
• When you lose your husband, you can either get into the zone of depression or you can fight and survive the circumstances. To the winner in you, wishing you Happy International Widows Day.

International Widow’s Day 2024 FAQs

Why is International Widows Day celebrated?

The United Nations observes 23 June as International Widows Day (resolution A/RES/65/189) since 2011, to draw attention to the voices and experiences of widows and to galvanize the outstanding support that they need.

How many widowers are there in India?

India is the country with the largest widow population in the world. It is estimated there are 40 million widows in India today – 10 percent of the country's female population. It has become home to the “husbandless”.

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