I am always at a loss to understand why the status of widows continues to be so neglected, especially in conflict and post-conflict environments, given their basic and long-term needs, and their crucial roles as sole supporters of families, as key players in peace building and the restoration of the social fabric of society in their communities and countries generally.
Widowhood is not just the root cause of poverty and inequality across the generations but also the reason that millions of children of widows, daughters as well as sons, vital to a society’s prosperity and future, are denied education and well being. Without any qualifications, they will become a cost and not a benefit to their society. Apart from the human rights and ethical issues, this neglect will have irrevocable social economic and political consequences. For poverty, inequality – especially gender inequality – and injustice, if not addressed in peace processes, will fuel future conflicts.
Never has the world witnessed such an increase in the numbers of widows as we have seen in the MENA region in the last decades. They and their children are the poorest of the poor, exploited, wretched, and abused, with little or no acknowledgement or support for their important social and economic contributions to the development of peace negotiations, and the stability of communities.
