Sunday,23,June was an International Day for widows, at the occasion,UN Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon revealed his wholehearted sad feelings about the fact the widows across the world are still disrespected and miserable.
AVEGA Agahozo, a Rwandan umbrella for widow’s survivors of 1994 Genocide against Tutsi told Umuseke.rw that widows struggle to overcome poverty and misery even if the journey remains too long.
Ki- Moon said that among 245 millions of widows worldwide, 115 live in extreme poverty while other 81 millions frequently face sexual abuses or other similar mistreatments.
The most exposed women are the ones that got married very young to men who are relatively older than them.
According to UN website, the abuses against women and children are a challenge to human rights in general and affect development efforts in general.
Umuseke.rw talked to Kayirere Odette of AVEGA who reported that even tin Rwanda same challenges are still hindering women to heal from physical and psychological wounds 1994 genocide has left to them.
In order to sensitize the common public about the issues facing women in Rwanda, AVEGA has set a ‘Widow Week’ during which public discussions on that issues will take place. The week will be operating in Gisagara District, a District that has more poorly living widows.
At the other hand, AVEGA told Umuseke.rw that among 19 thousand widows under their umbrella, 7 thousand reached high level of living, emancipating poverty.
The World Bank has recently reported that 2% of the world’s wealthy is owned by women. This shows how hardly women are struggling to overcome hardship at a global scare.
Historically, this International Day for women has been initiated in 2005 but is in 2011 that the UN General Assembly agreed on its international character and the every 23,June is reserved for commemoration
Vénuste Kamanzi
UM– USEKE.RW
