Widowhood and Violence,

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:40:41 +0000

by Ancila Adrian Paul

Violence against women is pervasive around the world to such an extent that a 1994 study based on World Bank data of ten selected risk factors facing women between the ages of 15-44 years rated rape and domestic violence higher than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, war and malaria in causing death to such women. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon puts it "Most societies prohibit such violence - yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned."

Ancil Adrian-Paul is a consultant for PhoenixConsultingUK. However, it is important that we recognise that there are many different categories of women that are affected by such violence. Single women, married women, divorced women, lesbian women - all have experienced violence. Similarly, girls, adult women, elderly women and widows of all ages also experience violence of different types. This blog entry is mainly concerned to highlight the experience of widows with violence.

The International Community has developed a raft of human rights legislation governing the rights of women including among others - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the 2000 SC Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Additionally, many countries have domestic laws protecting the rights of women including girls. Yet, for varying reasons, widows are often unable to take advantage of the protection offered by the international statutes and their national laws.
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Widowhood and Violence,