International Widows' Day

Updated: Thu, 21 Jun 2018

'We don't need men': Widows and rebel wives rebuild war-scarred Uganda

Women who were abducted and raped by the Lord's Resistance Army have teamed up to support each other

video-shortcuts Widows and rebel wives rebuild war-scarred Uganda
Women in Northern Uganda who survived the Lord's Resistance Army's (LRA) rebellion have become master builders as they struggled to rebuild their lives after almost 20 years of war. By Shanshan Chen | Tue, 15 May 2018
Rohingya widows find safe haven in Bangladesh camp
Women and girls number about 51 percent of the distressed and traumatised Rohingya population in the Cox's Bazar camps By Reuters | Thu, 7 Dec 2017
Zimbabwe's widows left in the cold as in-laws seize property
The majority of women in rural areas are in unregistered customary marriages and are living under customary law, which offers no protection when it comes to property By Andrew Mambondiyani | Tue, 12 Dec 2017
Indian farmers' widows suffer threats to children over land
Widows face a lot of bias particularly in rural areas, where they are considered inauspicious and a burden to the husband's family By Rina Chandran | Tue, 24 Oct 2017
Climate threats drive India’s 'tiger widows' toward open jaws
Unable to make a living from farming, women are forced back into the forest where their husbands were killed By Sanjay Pandey | Mon, 4 Sep 2017
Invisible Taliban child brides, widows trapped as sex slaves
"He became my lawful husband and began to rape me and beat me every single day" By Bahaar Joya | Wed, 23 Aug 2017
Sri Lanka's war widows trafficked as slaves to Gulf
"People who have not gone through a conflict will not understand how difficult it is to take care of young children on your own. We suffered during the war and we are suffering now" By Amantha Perera | Wed, 9 Aug 2017
Global number of widows rises as war and disease take toll
Widow "cleansing" rituals in Africa may require a widow to drink the water used to wash her dead husband's body or to have sex with an in-law or a stranger By Emma Batha | Thu, 22 Jun 2017
At war with the in-laws: Tanzania's evicted widows push for rights
Customary law in Tanzania states that widows have no right to inherit from their husbands By Katy Migiro | Wed, 5 Apr 2017
Despite attacks, Tanzania's 'witches' fight for land
Attacks on women denounced as witches, often by hired thugs or vengeful relatives, continue despite efforts to crack down on the killings By Katy Migiro | Tue, 21 Mar 2017
Mozambican widows without sons accused of sorcery, robbed of land
Widows from polygamous marriages abused and thrown out of their homes in rural Mozambique By Ray Mwareya | Tue, 5 Jul 2016
Sexually abusive widowhood rituals help spread HIV in Africa
"If you accept these degrading rituals, you run the risk of disease. If you don't, you are ostracised." By Josiane Kouagheu and Kieran Guilbert | Wed, 22 Jun 2016
Branded witches, cursed by spirits, Kenyan widows ousted from land
Under the guise of culture, widows are often mistreated by relatives who want their property By Katy Migiro | Thu, 23 Jun 2016
India's suicide farmers' widows face "living death"
Widows left battling moneylenders, in-laws and communities By Rina Chandran | Tue, 21 Jun 2016
"I should have died too" - Nepal quake widows struggle to survive
"It drastically changed the way I am treated by society. Society does not accept me as one of them," widow Mina Adhikari By Gopal Sharma | Wed, 22 Jun 2016
"Waiting for our deaths" - Kenyan widows saved by tribal elders
Kenyan law grants widows the right to live on their late husbands' property until they die, but poor women are often evicted by land-hungry relatives By Katy Migiro | Thu, 23 Jun 2016
Smashed bangles and no red sarees, Indian widows' colourless life
Widows are considered inauspicious in India and barred from participating in festivals, weddings or other celebrations By Rina Chandran | Tue, 21 Jun 2016
Widows worldwide robbed, enslaved, raped and accused of witchcraft
African rituals require widows to drink the water used to wash her husband's corpse, or have sex with his brother By Emma Batha | Fri, 18 Dec 2015
Liberia's Ebola widows learn to become the new breadwinners
"It is not sufficient to only supply Ebola survivors with food and aid. We want these women to have skills that they can survive on for the rest of their lives" By James Harding Giahyue | Mon, 8 Feb 2016
"Inherit" your brother's widow? Time to put Zambian law to rest
A widow – and her property – can be inherited by her brothers-in-law, and she may get HIV in return By Katie Nguyen | Tue, 22 Jul 2014
Many Uganda marriages unregistered, robbing widows of land rights
The men know it is unfair, but they believe they are entitled to the property - Ugandan land minister By Shifa Mwesigye | Thu, 19 Jun 2014