Education key to empowerment of widows, women – Mrs. Rawlings

Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has, in an address to mark International Widows Day, stated that while the Intestate Succession Law protects widows, the lack of awareness of this law, the lack of access to legal redress and a lack of confidence in the judicial system make widows still very vulnerable in the society.

Nana Konadu said: “Widows still face some forms of discrimination and continue to succumb to abuse because of an ingrained belief system; because of fear of retribution from their communities, because of a lack of a support system, because of a lack of awareness and education.”

She called for education to equip women with knowledge, skills and self-confidence to contribute to development at all levels.

The former First Lady who delivered the keynote address at the 6th National Widows Alliance Conference organised by the Mama Zimbi Foundation at the Trade Fair Centre, La on Saturday, noted that African women are caught in a continuous struggle with traditions, cultural norms, and societal practices that disempower and discriminate against them.

“We are all too familiar with the millions of widows on our continent whose husbands died in armed conflicts, in genocides, from natural disasters and diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, and are living in poverty. The Ebola virus, according to the WHO has already claimed 337 lives in West Africa. This was announced last week. How many women have been left without their husbands because of this deadly virus? How many children have lost their fathers?” Nana Konadu stated.

She described the commemoration of the International Widows Day by the Mama Zimbi Foundation as a call to action to raise awareness of the plight of widows.