EWD Workshop reports

Widows Without Rights Conference
London - 6-7 February, 2001

Opening Message from
Mrs Graça Machel, Patron of WRI

My continent Africa has many widows, of all ages, in all conditions and degrees of poverty, isolation and need. In my own country Mozambique, the civil war left a legacy of hundreds and thousands of widows and fatherless children. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has devastated family life across the continent leaving uncountable numbers of orphans and placing an additional burden on older women, many of them widows, who have to take on the care of sick and dying children and grandchildren in need.

These brave and resilient women symbolise a situation which cuts across culture, religion and nationality. Wherever they are, irrespective of their religion and culture, a common feature of widowhood is the violence perpetrated against them at the hands of near relatives and condoned by the inaction of governments. Many widows are hounded from their homes and denied access to essential resources such as shelter and land to grow food. They are also subject to degrading and life-threatening traditional practices. They have no status and often they are figures of shame and ridicule.

This neglect of millions of widows has irrevocable long-term implications for the future well-being and sustainable development of all our societies. If we continue to ignore this problem, we are condoning the violation of the human rights of millions of women and condemning their children to a life without hope.

I am proud to be the first Patron of this unique organisation and extend my warmest good wishes to this Conference - the first of its kind to be held in the world.

Eleanor Nwadinobi, President of the Widows Development Organisation (WiDO), Nigeria, with Kate Young, Chair, WRI.