By Edet Okpo & Substance Nature
Over I50 widows in Akwa Ibom State returned home smiling with various gift items and stronger resolve to face the challenges of widowhood as the Akwa Ibom State Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, marked the 2021 International Widows’ Day, Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
The event which had widows from the 31 local government areas of the State was held at the Women Development Centre, IBB Way, Uyo. The widows said it was a day like no other as the celebration came with special programme content and special effects. This year’s celebration had the theme, “Invisible Women, Invisible Problems”.
According to the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Ini Adiakpan,, the day came with a strong reminder and reawakening of the world to the multifarious plights faced on daily basis by the over 258 million widows in the world, in their determination to live beyond the misfortune of their husbands’ death.
Dr. Adiakpan therefore called upon individuals, family members and corporate organizations, well placed individuals , in Akwa Ibom State to spare a moment and give special attention to widows.
“The reason for dedicating the 23rd of June yearly for widows is to draw attention, create awareness, highlight and discuss hardships faced by widows globally; and to encourage people of diverse walks of life to make conscious efforts at assisting and empowering widows to overcome these challenges”, the Commissioner stated in her speech.
Emphasizing on the theme for the 2021 celebration and describing it as fitting and timely, Dr. Adiakpan maintained that the theme was chosen to “awaken the humanity in us and urges us to identify and make the problems of widows visible”. She said the United Nations set aside the day because it acknowledged the fact that widows appear to be invisible to lawmakers and policy formulators, hence nothing specific and sustainable has been entrenched to cater for their needs in many climes.
Especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commissioner lamented that so many widows have been thrown into worse situations that have affected their sustenance, health, dreams and status in the society, hence the need for all to look inwards with compassion and empathy to give them a sense of living.
Outlining some of the practical ways widows could obtain help, the Commissioner listed raising of funds for them, strengthening their capacity to generate income, and removal of cultural biases. Others include linking them up to resources, creation of massive awareness about their plight, driving the wheel of attitudinal change and being a conscious promoter of women’s rights.
As part of the programme of the day, papers, talks, demonstrations and panel discussions were presented by resource persons. Some of the topics presented include - The plight of Widowhood; The Rights of Women; Management of Widowhood/Survival Strategies. Widows were also given opportunity to share their experiences.
Amongst the resource persons were the National Chairperson of Association Against Child Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Amb. Dr. Eris Jewo as well as State Coordinators; representatives from the women lawyers, including Barr. NdianaAbasi Etuk, who delivered a paper on Management of Widowhood/ Survival strategies, amongst others.
The synopsis of the presentations was that most widows sometimes suffer due to ignorance of the law and their rights, idleness and total sense of help less.
Stressing on the importance of the rich content of the programme, Dr. Adiakpan said it was a specially designed initiative to expose the widows to their rights, available avenues for redress and survival techniques for self-reliance. It was also an opportunity to educate the widows on the role of the Ministry of Women Affairs and what help they could get therefrom when need arises.
The Commissioner said the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, and wife, Dr. Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, have a special place in the hearts of Akwa Ibom widows and therefore deserve special thanks for their practical commitment in creating conducive environments for women to thrive and harness their potentials.
She said through the instrumentality of the Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Path Initiative ((FEYReP)), lives of many Akwa Ibom women have been positively impacted by means of soft and interest-free loans, vocational training, etc. Commended also was the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for enacting gender-friendly laws.
The climax of the day was the presentation of wrappers, cash and other items to the women, some of whom came from distant local government area of the State.
Speaking on behalf of the women, Mrs. Imaikop from Ibesikpo local government area said it was good to see and experience the practical concern shown to the widows by the Akwa Ibom State Government. She therefore expressed gratitude to the governor and wife, as well as Dr. Ini Adiakpan for making the day such a memorable one.
Under Resolution A/RES/65/189, the United Nations set aside 23rd June of every year to celebrate the widows, beginning from 2011.
In another development that still formed part of the day, the Women Affairs Commissioner also took part in the 2021 World Refugee Day. Organized by The Voice of Bakassi Returnees, Disable Migrants Refugees and IDP’S Foundation in conjunction with other Non-governmental Organizations, the event featured presentation of awards and donations of support packages.
Judged by the contents of the programme, the International Widows Day indeed left the women with fond memories, challenged stakeholders on their responsibility, and point a way forward for better treatment and empowerment of widows wherever they are found.
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